The Dark Secrets Within Us All
by Mitsuko The Dark Angel
Summary: As fall turns to winter, student body president Katara is used to dealing with her obsessed ex, Jet, her apathetic brother Sokka, and her mischievous friend Toph. Throw in the new kid Aang and the shunned weirdo Zuko? Suddenly it seems her juggling act is not as easy as it looks. A hidden family destiny won't keep this girl from enjoying normal life!
1. Arc 1: The New Student

**NOTE:** I've rewritten this story as an original story, changing many things, but I still have this piece of fanfiction I wrote between 2009 and 2012. I would like to upload it here as it was after my first rewrite in 2012. The first rewrite got rid of some continuation errors and fixed some pointless chapters. It is complete, so I expect to update it regularly. This does not reflect my current writing style, as I am about to completely rewrite the story again with original characters and characterization.

I hope you enjoy 13-year-old Sarah's only complete fanfiction, The Dark Secrets Within Us All (Part 1). It is a high school AU. (I don't know how many of those are still around... I don't read ATLA fanfiction these days.)

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Arc 1: The New Student  
Chapter 1: A School of Misfits

Aang took in a deep breath as his eyes took in the tall walls of Phoenix High; he had heard many rumors about the school and that every student that attended each had somewhat of a strange past. _"I guess I'll fit in very well,"_ he thought. After his parents disappeared when he was two years old, Aang had been switching from orphanage to foster home his whole life. He had been lucky enough to excel well enough at his last school to have been given a scholarship to this boarding school. _"Luck loves working in strange ways,"_ Aang chuckled to himself.

Aang glanced at his watch and looked both ways of the school to see if someone was coming. Other kids passed by him, but none seemed too interested in the freshman. He studied the page in his hand. "Katara Reibu," he read. Though the situation was not at all new to him (he had been left waiting numerous times), he had hoped that he would have a new beginning at this school. He pulled his orange baseball cap down over his face. He should have expected as much.

Suddenly, he was nearly knocked down by the force of someone bustling past him. He tried to catch a glance of this person, but the boy had gone by him in a flash. All Aang make of him was he was the possibility of him being a senior with messy brown hair apparently in a hurry. His running slowed to a stop, now noticing the boy. He turned to face Aang and made his way back. "What are you doing out here? It's dangerous, you know." He towered over the young boy, dark, piercing eyes staring sternly at him.

Aang raised an eyebrow, "Dangerous? There wasn't anything about danger in the brochure."

The dark haired boy stroked his chin, "Hmm. . . interesting. I thought I told Suki to put that in. I guess she forgot," he shrugged nonchalantly before continuing. "By the way, kid, the name's Jet. If you see any weird stuff happening around, come to me. But for now, watch your back; there are some real weirdoes around here."

 _"Uh huh, and I believe I've just met one of them,"_ Aang thought as Jet bolted through a bush. The clickety-clack of a bike was what alerted Aang to narrowly miss the near-disaster. It skidded to a stop nearby and a dark-skinned girl rushed over to make sure he was alright. Once her inspection was complete, she began rambling on about how sorry she was for being late.

". . .and her snoring kept me up all night so I forgot about you because I wasn't even supposed to do this in the first place, but Toph's parents won't let her come to school alone so I had to do it and I'm so sorry!" Aang had to catch the girl before she collapsed from lack of breath.

"I think it would be fair to guess that you're Katara." Aang laughed.

Katara brushed herself off and fixed her hair as if she didn't just act like a complete idiot to the new student, "Yes, I am Katara Reibu, and I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Aang."

He shook hands with her and smiled, "Actually, my surname is Gyago." Katara blushed, realizing she had mistakenly said his first name instead of his last, "Well, let us begin, Mr. Gyago."

While they crossed the wide courtyard of the school to the dorms, they saw a pony-tailed boy who was showing his muscles to a small group of girls. He stopped when he saw the two walking by. "Hey Katara!" he called. Katara's eyes widened and she quickened her pace, careful to keep her face hidden behind a raised hand.

"Do you know him?" Aang inquired, his breath huffing as he readjusted his pace to match hers.

"Sadly, yes. He's my brother, Sokka. We found him in the street one day and adopted him," she replied.

"Really?"

"No, not really," she lowered her gaze and shrugged, "but if I say that enough times hopefully it'll come true."

Katara stopped and turned to Aang, "Here's where the tour stops, the boy's building is over there and I hope to see you at lunch. Goodbye, Aang."

As Katara hurried off, probably to her class, Aang looked at his schedule, _"History with Lo and Li,"_ he read to himself. He watched as she ran off, feeling an odd feeling forming in his stomach. There was something quite peculiar about that girl.

Aang had not found it in him to ask Katara why the tour had been so short, and found himself wandering hopelessly lost through the halls of Phoenix High. He thought it a miracle that he had managed to find his class on time.

"Fire in the hole!" someone shouted. Aang looked around to see who had shouted, only to be met in the face with a spitball. _"Ew. . ."_ he wiped his face in disgust.

A small girl with long, dark bangs angrily marched up to Aang. Despite their difference in height, he was immediately intimidated by her. She poked a small finger into his chest, "When someone says 'Fire in the hole' you're supposed to duck."

Aang scratched the back of his neck and muttered, "Sorry." He regretted it a second later. "Hey!" he interjected. "Why were you doing that in the first place?" he huffed.

The girl blankly stared at him with a puzzled expression on her face. She had been briefly taken aback by his refute, but a smug grin of realization began to form on her face. "You're new around here, aren't you?" she asked.

Aang nodded, "I'm Aang Gyago, nice to meet you." He extended his hand towards her.

She stood there for a moment before slapping her forehead, "Oh, you want me to shake it. Sorry, Aang, it's a little hard to know when you're blind. I am Lady Toph Bei Fong. But if you call me Lady, I promise you will be beaten senseless." She spat in her hand and shook Aang's hand; Aang held a brief look of disgust before managing a smile. "I don't doubt it," he replied slowly.

"You'll need to know the guidelines to survive this school, so stick with me, and you'll get along just fine."

The next two hours had gone by with no notable events. Aang discovered that the students tended to stare at new students. He found this especially true if one enrolls two months into the school year. During lunch, he caught the gaze of a number of students as Toph led him through the cafeteria. Katara and her brother were already seated at another table enjoying their lunches. The girl caught his attention with a wave and motioned him to sit with her. He watched as Toph continued on for a short distance and turned around. "What are you waiting for?" she inquired.

"Would you mind if I sat over there with Katara?" he sheepishly asked.

She shrugged and replied, "Why not? Sparks won't mind if it's just for today." She followed Aang and pushed Sokka off his seat before sitting down where Sokka was. The boy brushed his bottom before complaining, "Must you do that every time you eat with us?"

The blind girl shook her head, "You never seem to learn that's my seat."

Sokka's height reached its fullest. He began to protest against her actions while pointing an accusing finger at Aang, "But your seat is where the new kid is sitting, so you should've pushed him instead!"

Toph ignored him and proceeded to eat her lunch while Sokka continued to shout at her. Aang noted that Katara wasn't taking any notice of what was happening and he asked her, "Does this happen a lot?"

The blue-eyed girl sent a glance to the two and shrugged, "Pretty much every day if you ask me." Aang began to look around at the other students, remembering some from his previous classes. "You see that girl over there, she's Ty Lee Taiso, the vice-president of the student council," Katara extended her arm in front of Aang's shoulder to a girl who wore a pink version of the school uniform. "Even if she looks dumb, that's actually a false front she puts up. Last year I was paired up with her for our science project and she nearly blew me away with her knowledge of compounds and human anatomy."

Aang turned his head sideways to see if he and Katara were looking at the right girl. ". . .and sitting right next to her is Mai Kurai. Probably the only person on earth who can't smile, she can make you depressed within five minutes. I believe you have met Jet Seishoki, that guy's a real creep, and what's worse, we used to date. I found out he has an obsession with Zuko Ryishi, the number one guy on the weird scale. He's worn a top hat every day since he moved to Ba Sing Se."

"Why?"

"No one knows. The school was after him about it until they received a call from his father. They stopped after that. The dude must be quite important to be able to call in for his son."

"I guess. . ." He found himself staring at the top hat kid. He sat alone, but appeared unaffected by the lack of other humans. He noticed a girl staring at the boy as well and pointed this out to Katara. "Oh," she answered nonchalantly, "that's just Suki Meryu. She absolutely despises Ryishi."

"What did he do to her?"

"I strongly believe they used to date. Many people (notably my brother) disagree, but she changes her reason each time you ask.


	2. Arc 1: A Look at the Finer Things

**NOTE: I may keep my old author's notes, but they're mostly replies to comments and are sometimes silly. On an interesting note, this chapter as well as the previous are no longer in my new revised version. Well, I shouldn't say that this chapter is no longer in the story. I kept parts of it and wrote an entirely new chapter for the story.**

 **I am uploading this a day later since these chapters are really short ... but in general I plan to update every three days.**

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Arc 1: The New Student  
Chapter 2: A Look at the Finer Things

When Aang had first seen the Wall, he stood mouth agape staring at it. Now that he was in the city with Toph, he couldn't believe his eyes. The city was alive in every corner. Cars buzzed by, and people hurried past with large shopping bags. Aang had never seen so many people in one place. As they passed a flower stand, the boy just had to stop and smell the beautiful flowers; he even bought one for Toph in gratitude. "The city is so beautiful, and the people here are so nice, Toph. I wish you could see it."

The earthbender sighed before replying, "It's not so bad not being able to see… Actually, it gives me a whole different way of seeing from you guys. I can feel the vibrations that people make when they walk, their heartbeat, mood, anything that they're feeling I'd know it. Anyhow, Katara and Sokka are waiting for us at the Jasmine Dragon. We wouldn't want Sokka to eat all the food before we got there."

Toph and Aang walked into a tea shop that was near the school. "Twinkletoes, welcome to the Jasmine Dragon," she smiled. They sat down in a window booth with the Reibu siblings. Katara was ecstatic that Aang had been able to join them. She could not help but grin while voicing a variety of her thoughts to him. "Isn't this place great? This old guy named Iroh runs the place; he's like the coolest guy you'll ever meet."

"To Katara, any guy who drinks tea for a living is cool," Sokka whispered into Aang's ear. Toph slapped his hand. "Don't go spreading rumors about Uncle Iroh to Aang," she scolded.

The newest member of their group burst out laughing. He failed to notice the tall figure that approached them, but certainly noticed the effect of his shadow on the light. "Hey, who turned down the. . ." The boy looked up to see the Top Hat Kid sneering down at him. ( _"Zuko was his name?"_ ) "Are you just going to stare at me all day, or are you going to order some tea?"

Toph raised her hand, "Hey, Sunshine, you'd better lay it easy on my friend here, or I'm going to have to tell your uncle that you're scaring the costumers off again." Zuko scowled, but took their orders with no other words; Aang had asked simply for water, and Toph ordered some green tea ("You know the way I like it, Sparky.")

"So, Top Hat Kid is Iroh's nephew?"

"Yeah, we were nearly kicked out when we found out."

"Why?"

"Sokka accused Zuko of brainwashing Iroh into adopting him so he could get all his money when the old man dies."

"Wow. . ."

Toph pounded her fist on the table laughing, "Yeah, Iroh had to pry Sunshine off of Snoozles before someone ended up in the hospital."

Sokka stood up and made exaggerated stretches and yawns, "Now that I've eaten, it's time to show Aang the real Ba Sing Se." Zuko glared at them and promptly pointed to a sign that said "No Hazardous Activity Allowed." Aang looked at Katara to elaborate and she simply replied, "You don't want to know. . ."

Katara's hands remained on Aang's eyes as they all walked through the town, "Where are we going, guys?"

"It's a surprise," Katara smiled.

The young boy had already guessed when they arrived because Sokka started shouting, "We're here! We're here!" He then flinched at the sound of a punch being followed by a, "You idiot, you're ruining it!"

Katara removed the blindfold from Aang's eyes and the boy blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light. "Welcome to the Kakou Funshui," Aang heard someone say. He wasn't necessarily sure, because he wasn't paying attention. Forget about the Wall, this fountain was absolutely marvelous. A realistic dragon statue stood in the center. He felt so enchanted by it that he had to resist the urge to jump on its back. Lanterns hung around it, giving the impression of a crowd praising its hero. The blue-eyed girl held a solemn look on her face as she glanced around the area.

"My mother loved this place," she said, distant. "I think she believed in those kinds of things. You know, dragons and phoenixes . . . legendary creatures like that. She sometimes spoke of a Guardian of this very city." Katara traced her fingers along the stone fountain. "I always thought of them simply as fairy-tales, but when she died I started thinking. . ." she paused and Aang looked to the ground."I'm so sorry, Aang, I must be boring you to death. It's getting late; we should probably head back to the school."

The way back was fairly silent. Toph made a few side remarks as the teens walked back, but other than that, no words were said. Aang found himself feeling sympathy towards Katara. He never knew his parents and therefore lacked a particularly strong bond with them. On the other hand, he could sense that her mother's death had a great effect on Katara's life. She appeared to be happy on the outside, but on the inside he could tell she was still hurting.

* * *

Aang looked at the two arguing siblings outside. _"Her mother died when she was a little kid. . ."_ Sokka chased her around the yard.

 _"She was an illustrative storyteller. . ."_ He pinned his sister to the ground and she blew ice in his face.

 _"Katara said her stories came from the heart, as if they were true. . ."_

 _"Her daughter said I would have liked her very much. . ."_ Aang failed to notice the small, blind girl calling his name.

 _"I wonder. . ."_ His train of thought was interrupted by a sharp, "Twinkletoes!"

The boy's head snapped up to see Toph's eyes slightly narrowed in his direction, "Dude I've screamed your name like three times. We're going to be late for Phys. Ed."

* * *

"So where did your head go, Aang?" They were running the ½ mile when Toph asked Aang that.

"I was thinking . . . about Katara's mom and all," Aang started. "What if, she didn't die, but merely umm . . . _disappeared_ to that world she talked about?"

Toph's face looked as if she were thinking intently before returning to normal and she replied: "I don't know what to think. However, you shouldn't go into their family's business right now. I mean, c'mon, you've only just met them; you hardly know anything about them."

"I guess you're right," the boy frowned and stopped for a bit.

"THAT'S ANOTHER LAP FOR YOU GYAGO!"

* * *

Once again, Aang sat with Toph and Sokka. He had yet to see Katara that day, but Sokka assured him that she had some Presidential duties to attend to. He was casually munching on his veggie burger when a parade of suited men marched into the cafeteria and made their way to his table. Toph sighed; one of them laid a napkin on her lap. "Uh. . ." Aang's mouth hung open. The procession continued with other suited men presenting food to the blind girl. Aang had never seen so much gourmet food in his life. Toph lifted her hand and they immediately left her side. Sokka nudged Aang's arm. "The Bei Fongs are the richest people in the Earth Kingdom, maybe even the world. So, Toph gets this kind of treatment on a daily basis," he told the boy.

"Don't mind the procession, Twinkles, my folks always overdo everything when it comes to me," her eyes held a faraway look of sadness.

 _"Toph doesn't seem to like talking about her parents,"_ he mused to himself. _"They certainly don't seem like the type who would neglect her."_

Katara came in and apologized for her absence. "Sorry I'm late, guys. I was held up in the science lab, I'm stuck in charge of Zuru-Zuru for the week." She slid down into the spot beside Aang.

". . .Zuru-Zuru?" he inquired, not sure who or what "Zuru-Zuru" was.

"He's her science teacher's pet leopard-snake," Sokka and Toph answered in monotone unison.

"Seriously, couldn't Bumi have picked someone else? I have to help plan the Fall Festival this year," Katara cradled her head between her hands before groaning loudly. "Ugh!"

"Oh, and sis, you _are_ going to remember to include the hotdog eating contest, right?" Sokka stared intently at his sister.

"Arrgh!" The girl madly ran her fingers through her hair, and slammed her fist on the table before glaring at Sokka with death in her eyes. Aang began to feel goose bumps on his arm.

"Fine, you don't have to be so edgy," Sokka rolled his eyes.


	3. Arc 1: Through the Eyes of Another

**Note: I noticed that I forgot all about the line breaks and reposted chapter 2. However, that didn't count as an update for some reason, so here I guess are 2 chapters? ( _Also, I survived a bad car accident yesterday without a scratch so you guys are getting another chapter tomorrow.)_  
**

 **In the revision, the story starts here in order to eliminate any confusion on who the protagonists are.**

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Arc 1: The New Student  
Chapter 3: Through the Eyes of Another

"Ahh!" Katara ran into her surprised older brother's arms. "Katara? What's wrong? What happened to you?"

"Jet was right!"

 _[-An hour earlier-]_

Katara grumbled as she put on her pair of cleaning gloves, bought exclusively for taking care of the leopard-snake. The girl picked a spider-rat from the closet in which live food was kept for Zuru-Zuru. Though he preferred live food, he usually kept away from humans and therefore was harmless. (That is, unless frightened. . .) So when Katara unlocked the door of the classroom, she began to panic when she realized the snake's cage was open. _"I must have forgotten to lock it last night!"_

She tried to calm herself down, "Okay, okay. . .I mean it's not like he could have gotten far, I did lock this room so he's still in here. . . _somewhere_."

Katara searched under every desk and beaker and still there was no sign of the leopard-snake. Her hopes lightened, though, when she saw the broom closet slightly ajar. She picked up Bumi's large butterfly net and slowly approached it.

She began to coax the snake with kind words. She did not want to risk the possibility of startling the snake. "Here, Zuru-Zuru. It's me, Katara; I won't hurt you, just come on out and. . ." She slowly pushed the door open and found her jaw dropping.

There was the leopard-snake, plain as day, loosely coiled around another student, who, apparently, had fallen asleep in the closet. Katara then realized why the snake didn't come when she called him. There were two deep holes in its back, and two matching unusually large canine teeth in the snoozing student's mouth. It seemed natural that she assumed that the snake's death was the result of this student. She did not want to become the student's next victim, so she screamed.

The student, being Zuko Ryishi, had immediately awakened the moment Katara opened her mouth, and blue met gold. That position was held as she continued to scream. Zuko, however, did nothing but stare at her (and was still trying to comprehend the situation when the girl slammed the closet shut, locked it, and started sprinting to the first person that came to mind.)

Seishoki.

The dark-haired boy was eating a sandwich when the bewildered third year grabbed his arm and started pulling him in the direction of the incident. "Jet, I hate to say it, but you were right about Ryishi."

He was a bit confused that she even called him by name. "You mean about him being a Firebender?"

"Get real. _Everyone_ knows that."

"Oh. . ."

"I mean about your new one: him being some sort of monster or something."

"Actually I said he was an alien…"

Katara rolled her eyes as they passed another corner, "Anyway, I caught him with terrifyingly sharp fangs after killing Bumi's pet leopard-snake. He would have gotten me too, hadn't I cleverly distracted him. I managed to capture him in his moments of surprise." The girl stopped and stood proudly, the older teen just looked at her with a face of disbelief. "Okay, fine. I screamed and locked him inside, happy now?"

Jet shrugged as they arrived in the room. Everything was in perfect order when they entered. "Didn't you trash this place looking for the snake?"

Katara dumbly nodded, "I did, and. . .Look! There's Zuru-Zuru!" And sure enough, there was a leopard-snake in the glass cage, "B-but, how can this be? I just saw him and he was dead!"

After thoroughly examining the room, Jet scratched the back of his neck, "Look, Katara, I believe you, I do, but this is something I can't quite understand."

Katara lowered her head before snapping it back up, "The closet! It's still locked!"

She fumbled with the key before opening it. Nothing. . . "What? But that's impossible!

Jet placed his hand on her shoulder, "Sorry, Katara, but you don't have any evidence to prove that Zuko was even in this room at all."

The girl shrugged his arm off before leaving. She made her way to the front of the school and slumped down on one of the steps. The wind blew through her hair slightly, indicating the coming of fall weather. She didn't look up when the figure sat down next to her. "I know you probably think I'm a freak or something now, but there's a really good explanation for what happened, I think. . . and I'm sorry for killing your cheetah-snake. If there's anything you need, just ask. I really want to make it up to you."

The girl stood to leave but the teen put out his arm to stop her, "You're right, I _do_ think you're a freak, well, everyone does anyways. Oh, and by the way, it was a _leopard-snake_ , and he wasn't mine, he was Bumi's."

"Oh," his blush looked the color of a pink rose against his strikingly pale skin to Katara, despite his face being shielded by his top hat.

"What'cha hiding under there anyways, a pair of antennae, perhaps?" He didn't respond, but pulled his head covering closer to his face. The girl giggled, "Jet was right, you _are_ probably some sort of E.T."

The teen mumbled something unintelligible to himself, possibly in another language, and Katara brushed her skirt off, "Well, Mr. Ryishi, I'll be sure to take up on your offer, but now I must be going."

* * *

Sokka happens to be a very gullible person, especially when Katara cries about something that happened, granting the reason why she gave her hair a rumpled appearance before forcing tears in her eyes. She let herself cry for a few minutes before running in a hysterical rage all the way to her brother.

Sokka, at the time, was waiting for his younger sister to finish her duties with the snake, and constantly checked his cell for any text messages that indicated something was holding her up. He sighed when the phone beeped "ZERO MESSAGES" and slid it close.

The boy jumped into a defensive position when he heard a loud feminine scream, but was surprised when his sister leaped into his arms (no creep chasing her, by the way) with tears streaming down her face. "Katara? What happened to you?"

"Sokka, it was awful," she started before bursting into another set of tears, her brother slowly brushed his hand through her hair as she continued crying. "There, there, it's going to be alright. How 'bout we go get some ice cream, treats are on me."

Katara gave a smug grin as Sokka led her to his car. While they drove to the local ice cream shop, she thought deeply about what Zuko said.

 _"I can't believe it! 'I'll be sure to take up on your offer?' Am I nuts? He's basically offered himself up as a servant just because he killed a snake in his sleep, and I'm going to throw it away like that? I have just been given a **blank check!** No way am I going to just let it pass; I'll tell Ryishi he'll start working tomorrow. I'd better start making my list of demands tonight."_


	4. Arc 1: The Domino Effect

**Note: I never imagined I would spend so much time on a single story, especially this one. I have received tons of helpful criticism on the revised version, so many of the problems present here have been eliminated. I choose not to proofread this to keep it as a snapshot on the internet. Proof that I, Sarah, actually finished a multi-chapter piece of fan fiction.**

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Arc 1: The New Student  
Chapter 4: The Domino Effect

Sokka noticed that Katara was a little jumpy on their way home. Jumpy being an understatement, for she would occasionally laugh maniacally and hoot in the car while banging her hands on the dashboard. When her brother would ask her what the matter was, she would exclaim, "This is the best day of my life!"

Katara zoomed past Toph, who was already grudging her way to school, nearly causing the girl to topple over had not Aang caught her. "I've been catching a lot of girls lately, haven't I?" Aang smugly commented.

The girl huffed and gave the boy a small push. "I would have gotten along fine without you. . .and you let the perpetrator escape with her crime!"

Aang stumbled back at her words and the young heiress brushed off her uniform skirt. "Now if you would excuse me, Mr. Gyago, I must be heading to class now."

The boy was confused by her sudden change of attitude. Usually she would give him some snide remark and race him to the campus, but now she had suddenly become polite and proper; he began to walk backwards a few paces ahead of her, "What's up with you, Toph? I mean, no Twinkletoes? Or Helmet-head? Is there something wrong?"

Toph pulled Aang's shirt so that their heads would be at the same level. She lightly whispered in his ear, "My folks are keeping a close eye on me to see how I'm performing in school. So I have to be Little Miss Perfect until they stop."

* * *

Ryishi was just beginning his lunch when a grinning sapphire-eyed girl sat down across from him. "Can I help you?" he asked without lifting his eyes.

"I have written the terms for my contract I need a lawyer to draft out," Katara said, showing Zuko a stack of papers.

"You don't have to trouble yourself with that," Zuko muttered before taking another bite from his sandwich.

Katara stressed her expression while looking at the dark-haired boy; she noted the chunks of under-cooked (was it even cooked at all?) meat protruding from the bread. _"Ew. How can he possibly be eating that?"_ she asked herself.

"Umm. . .Why is that?" She asked, trying to avert her eyes from his lunch.

"My mother was a lawyer before she married, so I basically know everything about this stuff," he didn't seem to notice Katara's eyes on him-or more specifically, his mouth.

She had realized when he was finished his grotesque eating session when he wiped his mouth with a nearby napkin and reached over and took the stack of papers. He promptly began flipping through them, examining the content of each page. "Most of these terms are reasonable enough for me. Though, I doubt that it is a sensible decision to extend this past the year's end. I'm only sorry for making you to talk to Jet." It was well-known around the school that Katara and Jet had recently broken up. She had gotten tired of his one-track minded obsession with Ryishi and it was over. She cast her gaze to the side as Zuko acknowledged this fact.

He closed the list of terms, his skimming already finished. He took the girl's hand and laid a light kiss on it. "I would be honored to serve you in any way I can, my Lady."

Katara sat there, mouth agape, looking at the smirking boy in a top hat; he stood up and returned his face to his usual trademark bored expression as if his act was completely natural. "Were you not pleased with my introduction?" he inquired, noticing how the girl continued to stare at him.

Her eyes narrowed. How dare he be so smug with her! He was now her temporary servant and such an attitude would not be tolerated! She stuck her nose in the air, "No, you did it way too authentically for my taste. (It practically scared me!) Do it again."

Zuko sighed before proceeding with his given order.

Deep in the bushes, unknown to Reibu and Ryishi, someone was watching, someone was waiting, and someone was smirking.

Ryishi told Katara he was going to be late for class if he didn't hurry, and she gladly excused him. She sighed and played with her spork, having lost her appetite after watching the firebender eat. The figure saw this as his opportunity to approach the girl. He snuck over behind Katara and lightly placed his hands on her shoulders. Her entire body tensed and she immediately turned around, her brown hair following and slapping her face.

"Why hello, Katara," his silky voice greeted.

She scoffed and returned her vision forward, "Jet, what did I say about us being seen together in public?"

Seishoki faked a face of disappointment, and said while trying to make her face him, "Katara, I'm hurt that you don't miss me. However, that is not why I came. I want to congratulate you."

"Congratulate me for what?" What could she have done that would possibly interested Jet and his stalk-y ways?

"Tricking Ryishi, of course! Your plan to expose him as a freak of nature by making him your slave is completely brilliant!"

"Eh?" she muttered. Hadn't he paid any attention whatsoever? The only reason they broke up was because they had nothing in common.

* * *

Zuko let out a sigh of relief once he got away from Katara. As soon as she was out of sight, he slowed his pace down to a casual walk. He was not in much of a hurry seeing as this was his free period. Since he was a senior, he could wander around campus as he pleased. The waterbender had made him practice various greetings and gestures that he would have to address her with. He groaned aloud. Maybe offering himself up for a favor was not such a good idea after all. The student council president was prone to overdoing things. He briefly remembered her first month as acting-President. _"What have I gotten myself into this time?"_ he sent a glance towards the ceiling.

He continued to stroll nonchalantly through the school, few students casting their eyes in his direction. His hands were carelessly in his pant pockets while he tried to avoid the waterbender. Who knew what she would say if she discovered that he lied to her about having a class. He had heard rumors that those who got on her bad side would be sentenced for hours in the school dungeon. Those who began these were not even sure themselves whether or not there was even a dungeon underneath the school in the first place. He rounded a corner, still focused on avoiding Katara that he failed to avoid colliding with an auburn-haired girl.

Neither of the two seniors managed to lose their balance in the collision. However, although Zuko approached the incident rather indifferently (he was about to apologize), Suki immediately became hot. "Don't you watch where you're going?" she asked sharply.

He blinked. He found it odd that she grew so angry in that instant. He could feel his temperature rising. _"I am not in the mood for this,"_ he said to himself before pinching the bridge of his nose. She was not going to accept any apology from him, it seemed. It would be better to not say anything and leave. Zuko glanced behind the girl, watching for the perfect time to leave. He felt calmer as his body heat receded to normal temperature.

She crossed her arms and muttered, "Typical Fire Nation. Always strutting around like they own the world."

Immediately, his inner flame reached its boiling point. "I'm sorry," he began to retort, "if I do not see the point in looking _down_ to avoid bumping into something."

"Excuse me?"

Zuko smirked; now he had her! "May I ask what were _you_ looking at? I mean, certainly I am not that hard to see," he referred to the great height he had on her-especially with the top hat. She could not find a retort to his statement, but glared at him with narrowed blue eyes as he continued on his walk. That was another thing on her reasons why Zuko Ryishi was an unpleasant person to be around.

* * *

Toph sat quietly as three servants came into the school lunchroom, each carrying a plate of food. They circled the table twice, a formation Toph was very familiar with. The first one placed a cream-colored cloth on her lap while continuing to balance the platter of food on his other arm. He then slid the food onto the table in front of the girl. A second man removed the cover from the platter. She nodded to the man and he and the other two went off. All of the students watched as they left the building before returning to their own lunches. "Well, uh. . .that was unexpected," commented Aang.

"They'll be back," the blind girl replied bluntly. The silence that followed between the three and the tension it caused was making the elder boy edgy. Katara's absence removed a lot from the table. Toph thought it was best that the girl did not sit with them. (She was still sour about the morning's incident.) Aang had many things he wanted to say, but felt awkward without Katara there. Sokka lightly whistled while rubbing the back of his neck, "So. . ."

The boy and the earthbender both looked up at his ice breaking voice. "Hmm?" they intently asked, barely hearing the elder teen's word.

"Have you guys noticed how strange Katara has been acting today?"

Toph reclined more in her seat and shook her head slightly, "Snoozles, if you hadn't noticed, the Fall Festival is next week. Katara is under a lot of stress, so it's not that weird if you ask me."

Aang turned his glance to Sokka, "I suppose you're right, perhaps all she needs is a nap." He returned a worried glance towards Aang. Toph shook her head. "Aang," she began, "kids our age do not suggest naps to each other."

"Oh," he looked down, his cheeks becoming red. "Say, is that Katara sitting with the Top Hat Kid?" Aang pointed over to the two teens seated outside by a window.

Sokka immediately stood up, attracting the attention of most of the indoor students, "What?"

Toph gently wiped her mouth with her napkin, "Don't worry Snoozles, Sugar Queen is probably luring him into the deathtrap club known as the Student Council."

Sokka nodded in agreement, then noticing Aang's confusion he explained to him, "The Student Council is basically the over-achievers of the school. First you've got President Katara Reibu and Vice-President Ty Lee Taiso; they tend to make every school event as perfect as possible, mainly forcing the rest into manual labor. (Aang flinched.) The rest include Chan Muchi, Mai Kurai, Teo Kogarui, Suki Meryu, and possibly. . .Zuko Ryishi."

* * *

Zuko was about to lock up for the Jasmine Dragon when his ears picked up a slight rustling. He snapped around into a defensive position ready to face his opponent. "Where are you? Show yourself coward!"

"Well, well, as straightforward as usual, Zuko Ryishi," a voice behind him suddenly said.

"Huh? How do you. . .?" The firebender looked behind him to see no one.

"Hmm. . .It seems you haven't figured it out yet; I guess they were careful not to tell you about it."

"Tell me about what?" Zuko was _really_ confused now. What was this stranger talking about and who were "they"? His father? His uncle?

"No matter, I'll make sure you never find out." The Prince suddenly felt dizzy and lost consciousness.

 _-End of Arc 1-_


	5. Arc 2: Awakening

**Note: Arc 1 was really short... Arc 2 is much longer, and Arc 3 is half the story.**

* * *

Arc 2: A Decaying Chain of Deceitful Lies  
Chapter 5: Awakening

Ryishi groaned as he slowly awoke from his slumber, carefully taking in his new surroundings. His honey colored eyes snapped open, jumbled memories falling into place as the events of the previous night came into view.

"Look, he's waking up…"

The blurriness of the many shades of white cleared and Zuko became aware of the figure of Katara. "Re…Reibu? What happened?"

"Shh…You shouldn't talk, you've been asleep for seventeen hours," Zuko tried to reach out to her, but was met only with glass. He was encased in a glass box. Why? He had no idea.

"They told me that you had a serious disease or something, probably contagious considering the fact that you're in a case. This totally sucks because you're supposed to start obeying my orders today! Don't give me that look, Ryishi, I gave you a card." The boy then noticed the envelope on the bed, _"Why didn't I see it earlier?"_ He picked it up and read, "Happy thirtieth anniversary?"

Katara pressed her lips together, "So what? It's a card. Cards make sick people better. So get better already!" She crossed her arms with a huff, though watching him intently to see if he would suddenly heal of whatever injuries he had.

Zuko laughed in spite of himself, and a woman walked in the room. _"Ms. Wu,"_ he made a mental note in his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you family?" She said to Katara.

"No, I'm a good friend," she smiled to the elderly woman. Ryishi looked at her oddly, they were hardly acquaintances and she was telling a doctor that they were good friends? This girl was weird.

Ms. Wu looked at the papers for the new entry and looked frantically from the diagnoses and the patient. "Umm…Miss, I think you should leave now. I have to ask this young man a few questions."

"Okay, sure…" The blue-eyed girl shrugged and nonchalantly walked outside.

Zuko grunted as he propped himself into a sitting position, _"She said I was out for seventeen hours… What on earth did that man do to me?"_

There was a silence between the two since Ms. Wu tried to avoid eye contact with the patient. The lady coughed before saying, "According to these records, you have a numerous amount of disorders, is that correct?" Zuko nodded.

"Yes, I do. It's hereditary from my mother's side."

"Interesting… Do you mind if I request an audience with your mother about your condition?"

Zuko shifted uneasily, he felt a pang in his heart with the mention of his mother, "She disappeared ten years ago…"

"Oh, you poor thing," the woman solaced.

"By the way, Doctor, what exactly _is_ my condition?"

* * *

Katara leaned against the door straining to hear the conversation between Ryishi and Ms. Wu. People were staring in her direction, however, she didn't care. That boy was going to be her servant at school, and hopefully during the day as well (once she finds out where he lives.) and if he had a problem, she would personally perform surgery to correct it herself.

She was only able to catch the words "mother" and "disappeared" before the door opened and she fell on her face with a "thud". The teen had a look that asked, "How long were you there?"

She quickly thought up an excuse, "I was checking how soundproof the doors in this hospital were." In her head she mentally slapped herself. That was as bad as one of Sokka's jokes!

She didn't have to worry about the woman calling security on her because she left in a hurry from the room. _"I wonder what her problem is?"_ Katara thought as she trailed after her.

* * *

"By the way, Doctor, what exactly _is_ my condition?"

"I don't know how to tell you this, but… Your brain activity is off the charts, higher than that of any _normal_ human."

Ryishi wasn't very much surprised as she said that, in fact, he had guessed those very words. He knew he wasn't exactly normal by the average ruling. He had never seen a doctor a day in his life, not even when he was a baby had he have any medical treatment whatsoever. He had asked his father about it once, having heard children complain about visiting the doctor's office he wondered why he had yet to see one. His father was shocked at his sudden interest in it that he looked like he was going to chastise him, but stopped himself from doing so, "Son, we of the Tetsuru Royal Family are of perfect blood, never needing to visit those healing…people."

"Doctors," Zuko muttered to himself. He knew very well that his father was lying to him, and it didn't matter to him at the time why, but that was to be the first of many lies told to the young prince.

"Mr. Umm…" Ms. Wu pulled him out of his trance, being the first time his name had been asked. _"They haven't figured out who I am? Perfect."_ Zuko had no intent to further require Father's assistance in getting himself out of a tight spot, and he knew that the Firelord was already growing irritated and impatient with his heir apparent and his inability to properly take charge of any situation and bend it to his own will like his sharp, younger sister.

"Seishoki. Lee Seishoki." He had originally planned to say Reibu, but remembering hearing the demeanor of Katara from the elder Reibu and her openness to "talk to strangers", he guessed that she had already introduced herself to every nurse and patient on the floor. (Which would not be very good by the way, "…Half-siblings…" Katara would probably say. Anyone with eyes would see that they had absolutely no physical features in common. He had pale skin, black hair, and golden eyes while Katara and Sokka both had tan skin, brown hair, and blue eyes. Only a complete idiot would believe that they were related.) So he'd take his chances with Jet's last name. _"So if anyone figured out that the name is fake, they'd first go after the real Seishoki. Leaving me in the clear."_

As the psychologist (It became clear to the teen that the woman dealt with the field that involved abnormalities of the brain) wrote down information in her notes, Zuko continued to wonder why this woman continued to evade his simple question. Then it hit him. What if his "disease" was some sort of mutation? That would explain the cage they had placed him in, but why would they bring a psychologist to check him? Wouldn't they take him to a high-testing facility on a remote island where a mad scientist would experiment on him? Zuko snorted, he's watched _way_ too many late-night horror movies with Toph. But really there was something seriously wrong with him.

And he was going to figure it out before the doctors got their gloves on him.

* * *

 _"Why am I following her?"_ Katara asked herself as she rounded another corner which led to yet another hallway in this labyrinth they called a hospital. Katara had visited a hospital many times and seen what doctors did, and this woman was _definitely_ not going to simply put information in a computer database. The girl's legs were starting to get sore from pursuing the doctor, and when she finally stopped, Katara frantically dived behind a carrier and watched the doctor carefully.

Ms. Wu looked both ways to check if nobody had followed her, and she pressed a tile on the wall. A secret entrance slid open and she walked in, Katara gasped. _"She had just spoken to Ryishi…I wonder…"_

She briefly debated on whether or not it was a good idea to follow her longer, but eventually her curiosity got the best of her and she slipped past the door a moment before it closed shut.

It was dark and the waterbender couldn't see two feet in front of her, things were getting quite scary for her as she carefully made her way down the steps, testing to see if the floor was sturdy with a pole she created out of ice. She knew that she wouldn't have any more water to bend if she lost the makeshift staff, but whatever this woman was down here for. It involved _her_ flunky.

For the first few days after she had met the young Bei Fong heiress, Katara had often wondered to herself what was it like to be blind? She knew it was not being able to see anything, and according to Toph, people tended to think that you're completely helpless. Toph, however, was the complete opposite, she was tough, sarcastic, and completely independent, hating those (other than her parents) who thought she was weak and unable to handle her own. At a first glance, you wouldn't be able to tell that she was blind at all, since she would maneuver her way through as if she could see. That is a result of her earthbending.

This was _not_ how Katara thought being blind was. She had never been so scared in her life; everywhere she turned there was nothing but darkness. As if she had fallen into a dark void and no one wished to save her. It was suffocating her, but she knew that she must press on. (For Ryishi's sake.) She was not very far from the bottom when she recognized Ms. Wu's voice, "Master, I have found the Guardian of Snow. He is a third-year high school student who attends Phoenix High by the name of Lee Seishoki." Lee Seishoki? What the...? Ryishi must have used an alias. But what was this "Guardian of Snow" business and how was Ryishi involved?

"I am well pleased with your work, Wu. _Your_ future has just changed for the better," an electronic voice replied.

There was a brief silence before the voice spoke again, "And the Keeper?"

"I haven't found him, Sir, but I have good reason to believe that he attends the same school."

"Interesting. I'll see if I can corner him then."

"When will you be arriving to take the creature?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, at the least."

The doctor's eyes widened, "B-but why hesitate on something that you've spent nearly twenty years searching for?"

"The boy has no idea of his true condition?"

"Not that I know of, he doesn't."

"Then why the rush? You should go back to your post; we don't want to give the nurses another reason for suspicion." Katara hitched in her breath as the doctor passed dangerously close to her. She had to get Ryishi out of this madhouse.

* * *

Zuko couldn't sleep.

And who would?

He had tried firebending himself out, but realized that the extreme conditions would cause the whole box to pop (He usually did this when he was venting his anger to calm himself down.) which would cause a panic throughout the hospital and a transport of him to a more secure location. _"So I guess my future is set in stone now,"_ he thought while putting his hands behind his head. He couldn't remain in that position for long, though, since they had a helmet that was monitoring his brain on him. That to Zuko was probably the best thing that they did for him. When Katara visited, he was shocked to see that she wasn't questioning him about his hair–something he was very touchy about. Contrary to popular opinion, Zuko Ryishi is actually someone who is very self-conscious. Despite getting second glances from the occasional passerby, the reason he wears a top hat wherever he goes is because it makes him feel more human. If he _didn't_ wear it, however, the embarrassment that he would have to hold would be too much for him to bear. People would look at him as a freak of nature, a mistake not fit to exist; Father would disown him, angry mobs would chase him from every town, even Uncle would probably shun him. A medical mystery they would call him, he would be dissected, experimented, and put on display for the entire world to gawk at. He could see the look on Azula's face now... That's why no one should know. _Especially not Katara._

A light knocking pulled him out of his thoughts and he saw the grinning figure of Katara Reibu smiling at him. "What are you doing here?" Zuko asked, quite surprised that she sneaked into a hospital to save him.

"I'm busting you out of here." She pulled an ice dagger from her sleeve and started on cutting through the glass for her comrade to escape. The prince curiously watched her as her face twisted into different expressions before pushing gently on the glass, creating an opening. Katara threw a bundle into Zuko's hands and turned towards the door to keep watch. "I snatched your clothes on the way here, so hurry up and change so we can get out."

* * *

Often in action movies, the main character escapes a tight situation via air ducts... _wide, brightly lighted air ducts_. Ryishi and Reibu, however, were in a small, dark, smelly thing called a ventilation system. The only light that they had came from Katara's cell phone, Zuko's having died long ago due to ignorant nurses who didn't bother turning it off to conserve energy. But that didn't help in their situation because Katara was hopelessly lost, and poor Zuko was left to follow her completely unaware of this fact. In an attempt to start a conversation (and the fact that their silence made the other believe that they were being followed) Zuko asked Katara: "How did you get here? Don't tell me you walked all the way from your...Wait...You didn't take a bus did you?!"

Katara scoffed, "No, as a matter of fact I _drove_ here."

For a moment Zuko was surprised at the sixteen-year-old girl in front of him, but then remembered... "You don't have a license," he said bluntly.

Katara's steadily growing ego popped, _"How did he...? I am going to **kill** Sokka when I get back!"_

"So, come again, how did you get here?"

"Aha! I've found the exit!" Zuko clearly was annoyed at Katara evading his inquiry, bur followed the girl outside. She brought her phone to her lips and said, "Blue 1 and Freak Show are near the vehicle. I repeat, Blue 1 and Freak Show are nearing the vehicle, prepare it for our exit. Over."

Ryishi felt blatantly offended, _"Freak Show?"_

"Who on earth are you talking to?" Katara pulled Zuko down as he was adjusting the hat on his head, "Hey-!" Katara covered his mouth with her hand before someone heard him. The girl motioned for the teen to follow her to the black SUV behind the hospital, it looked as if someone was inside, but Zuko couldn't recognize the shape.

It wasn't until he got in the car did he see who it was. "You!" He shouted to Katara, "How could you bring _him_ along on something as important as this?"

Katara cowered in front of the teen, "I can't drive unless I have a responsible eighteen-year-old with a driver's license."

" _Responsible?_ He's as responsible as a five-year-old who's flushed his dad's cell phone down the toilet!" Jet was _not_ going to let this freak tell **him** how responsible he was.

"I'm responsible! I haven't told you how the Freedom Fighters vandalized your bike," he retorted, clearly proud of himself.

"You...trashed...my...bike...?" Ryishi was at a loss for words. His motorbike was his most prized possession (other than his hat); he had worked for Iroh for two years before he had enough money to buy it. It was the first thing that he spent his well-earned money on, not something that he asked Father for, and this idiot confessed to wrecking it in front of him?

Katara could see that Ryishi was visibly fuming. Two columns of smoke were pouring from his nostrils, and she had to lower the car windows before her vision became hazy. "Now, now, I'm sure Jet didn't mean it. Right?"

"No, I meant it, Katara. Fire Nation freaks have no right to be in this city," Seishoki seemed oblivious of the firebender ready to strangle him.

Zuko growled before pinching the bridge of his nose to release some of his anger, "Katara, I can't take it anymore. Farm Boy is out **_NOW_**!"

It took the waterbender a few moments before she realized what he meant, and her blue eyes widened, "But, Ryishi, if we do that a car will hit him!"

"As if I'd care... His brain couldn't possibly get any more damaged," he replied low enough so that only Katara would hear.

"I don't know why you have to be so emotional about it, Ryishi. It's just a stupid bike." Zuko then literally kicked Jet out of the car.

* * *

"I can't stay at my uncle's house any longer without placing him in some kind of danger. I have a bungalow in the woods, and I can hide there while I find out what that creepy nurse was up to."

"You were staying at your uncle's house all this time?!"

"Yeah...Didn't Toph tell you?"

"Uh..."

"Never mind. We're here." Katara stood agape looking at it and her companion sighed. "I know, it's small, isn't it? It looks more like a hideous, little shack than a bungalow."

Katara thought it was everything _but_ small. It was hardly small enough to be called a bungalow, it was _HUGE_! A two story building bigger than her own house, and Zuko was calling it _small_? Where on earth did he grow up? With _giants_?

"Katara?"

"Huh?" She was snapped from staring at the house.

"You should go home now."

"Oh, yeah. Ryishi, you can't be a lone wolf at the school anymore."

"And why is that?"

"They know what school you go to, you and your top hat stand out like black on white. You need a group to hang around, to not draw as much attention to yourself."

"And which 'group' do you suggest?" Zuko raised an eyebrow.


	6. Arc 2: Welcome to the Freak Show

**Note: I have a feeling that this Arc 2 is from the original write of this story, since it had HTML formatting that the rewritten Arc 1 did not have. This is disappointing, because I really enjoy the rewritten version of this chapter. This version makes me facepalm and cringe. Also I had to change one word that frustrated me beyond belief, because this was back when I thought the Avatar names were Japanese rather than Chinese.**

* * *

Arc 2: A Decaying Chain of Deceitful Lies  
Chapter 6: Welcome to the Freak Show

There was a long silence after Katara introduced the newest member of the Student Council. "Hey, I know your rule is supreme and all, Pres, but didn't we make a rule _not_ to allow weirdoes into the council when you brought in our little friend Teo here," Chan said, not wanting yet _another_ possible competition for the heart of Ty Lee.

The vice-president, however, was overjoyed at the news and leaped into the newest member's arms. "I...missed...you...too...Ty Lee..." Zuko managed to sputter while trying to escape the acrobat's grip.

Save for Kurai, the rest of the group was shocked, "You guys know each other?!"

Taiso beamed, "We practically grew up together!" She squeezed her arms tighter, (but her captive had already freed himself and strayed to the back of the room near Mai) not realizing that no one was there, and had to form a somersault to regain her balance. "Hey!" she turned to Ryishi and Kurai. "You know what would make this even better? (She pulled out her cell phone) If–"

"No." they replied bluntly, not wanting to bring the subject of _"her"_ in this new environment.

"But...?" she squeaked.

"One more word from you and I'll tell everyone about _you-know-what_ ," Zuko threatened. That silenced the gymnast, and the shuriken wielder looked at the elder firebender with surprise. "What exactly _is_ you-know-what?"

He leaned in to whisper in the melancholy girl's ear, "I have no idea."

"Okay, as we all know, the Fall Festival is coming up soon! And we're in charge of setting up the booths and preparing the refreshments," the president announced. The rest of the group groaned loudly, and Teo, who had become a little bit of the group representative to the President (given it was her who had personally invited him to join the Student Council), approached her, "But none of us has any culinary skill or training."

"Zuko is a marvelous–" When Reibu turned to hear what the vice-pres had to say, she saw her attempting to glare at the dark-haired teen who had covered her mouth with his hand.

"Ryishi, would you mind telling me what you are doing?" Katara asked her drudge.

"Actually I would mind," he muttered, when he noticed her icy glare, however, he quickly answered. "I thought I saw a scorpion-bee and saved Miss Taiso."

The girl mumbled something from behind his palm and Zuko removed his hand. She huffed a short "Thank you" before returning to her bubbly aura, (Zuko meanwhile trying to escape the room before it was too late) "Ryishi is a marvelous cook, he can even compare to a master chef."

 _"Almost there,"_ Zuko thought, _"Just a few more steps and I'm home free."_

"Ryishi!" Katara's voice called out. _"Oh, so close, yet so far,"_ he thought before turning to face his master.

"You will now be assisting me in the kitchen as you will be my sempai for the time being." Zuko looked at her in surprise, _"Ryishi-sempai? I kind of like the sound of that."_ He walked out with Katara grinning from ear to ear.

Ty Lee made a comment to Mai a short time afterward, "You see, if only he'd let me help out more, then we'd get to enjoy that lovely smile of his more often."

Mai gave her an odd look, "Ty Lee, you're the only noble in the Fire Nation who smiles. That was a smirk."

She looked up at her friend and asked, "There's a difference?"

* * *

Katara was spending way too much time with that Zuko Ryishi. First there was that whole snake incident, then eating lunch with him, then visiting him at the hospital, and finally, her sneaking out the night before. Something was definitely up between them. Sokka thought of all the other instances in which Katara had acted strange in such a way and came up to one conclusion: She is dating Zuko Ryishi. It wasn't an unusual conclusion, he had heard some rumors about a relationship between the two which most likely had been started by the Freedom Fighters. Some of them saying that his sister and the firebender were accomplices. They were not true, however, Sokka would surely have noticed if Katara was stashing stolen goods in their house. He needed someone who could get information, someone he could trust, yet was already close to Katara. Toph, no, could easily be turned to Ryishi's side; Aang, a definite no; how about Suki? She already has a thing for him, so she would be his best bet at the moment.

Suki Meryu could take on any assignment; if you needed the dirt on someone, you automatically would come to her. It was like an unwritten rule. However, she was not ready for what Sokka would ask her to do.

"But Katara is my friend and your sister. Can't you trust her to make good decisions?" the teen journalist asked her secret crush.

Sokka paused as if he was in thought before bluntly saying, "You don't know Katara that well, don't you?"

Katara's irrational behavior is only known to the students who were in their Senior Year at Phoenix high, but her naïve attitude is very well known in the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se.

Suki eventually agreed that Katara should have been more open about what she does to her friends, and reluctantly shook Sokka's hand saying, "You've got yourself a spy."

* * *

"No!" screamed Toph to Aang. He looked at her in surprise; he didn't know why she was so upset. "What's wrong, I mean, we're only going to be looking after a bunch of kids, after all?"

She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him under the table, "You don't understand, tell me what does this say?!"

Aang blushed and said, "I can't read Braille."

Toph smacked her forehead and muttered something along the lines of, "Don't they teach anything in schools today?"

The girl sighed and said, "Look on your sheet, child number four."

"Meng Shukuma, aged 11, but what's wrong with–" people around the room stared at him.

"You haven't heard the tale of Meng the demon child?" Aang seemed a little skeptical when the lights turned off and a flash of thunder was heard from outside, it was all too convenient. And Aang's suspicions were proved when Seishoki came in with a piece of straw in his mouth (so that's where the nickname "Farm Boy" came from). Two of his cronies trailed in after him, one of them Aang couldn't tell if the kid was a boy or a girl, and the other had an unreadable expression.

* * *

"Okay, gently now– I said gently! Are you deaf, Reibu, what are you doing?!" Zuko exclaimed at his student, Katara was obviously not paying any attention to what he was saying. They were in the school kitchen, Zuko having turned from mere servant to master in a matter of minutes, his top hat replaced with a tall chef's hat.

"You don't have to be so edgy all the time, Ryishi-sempai, we're merely making sandwiches, not hors d'oeuvres," she crossed her arms, not enjoying being bossed around by her subordinate.

"At least we can do _that_ right."

"Whatever," she replied before accidentally knocking down some flour, as she was bending down to pick it up, meanwhile Suki gasped in fear that she would discover the bug and her cover blown, but she felt overjoyed when Zuko said, "Stop procrastinating already, we'll clean up when we're done."

Katara nodded before continuing to mix her sauce together while humming the tune to "Four Seasons", Zuko then told her how she sounded as annoying as his uncle and she frowned. He looked over at what she was making and scowled, "What _is_ that?"

"I would guess that you of all people would know a secret sauce when you see one," she said before ignoring him again.

"It's a sandwich, it doesn't need 'secret sauce'," Ryishi tried to pull the bowl from her hands, but she pulled back.

"It needed some pizzazz," she snarled.

"No, it doesn't."

"Yes, it does."

"No, it doesn't."

"Yes it—" her foot slipped on the mess that was on the floor, and sent a puff of white all over the room.

Time seemed to slow down for Zuko as the waterbender slipped and knocked his hat off. His eyes immediately shifted to the bowl in his hands while thoughts flooded into his mind. _"What to do? What to do? I can't let her see me like this, I have to do something."_ He thought of the bowl filled with Katara's "special secret sauce" and groaned.

Katara groaned while getting up, "You could have at least caught me, you know… Ryishi, why is my special sauce in your hair."

"Oh, really. I hadn't noticed because I was too busy thinking about _how much I resemble a clown now_!"

The girl blushed and muttered an apology, the teen shrugged it off as an accident and left.

* * *

"You haven't heard the tale of Meng the demon child?" Aang glanced at Toph for any clue on how to respond, but when he saw nothing, he replied with the truth.

Jet stroked his chin and said, "It was three years ago, before any of you had set eyes on this school. The Fall Festival had just added the 'child tours' attraction, where teens like us would tour a group of kids through all the booths. Now, look here, I didn't want to do it, but somehow I was grouped with Reibu (not the President) and ended up babysitting a bunch of little brats. It started okay at first, but when we were halfway through a little girl showed up with a large name-tag around her neck that read 'Meng'. We thought she had been with one of the other groups and asked her who had been watching her; she replied 'I live with Aunt Wu'."

Aang looked around the room to hear gasps from the other students, Toph whispered, "Aunt Wu is the local fortuneteller."

"We didn't know what to do with her, Aunt Wu held a sort of grudge against the Reibu family for some reason so Sokka abandoned me with her. The other children were frightened at any mention of the fortuneteller and stayed a distance from her; Katara had been walking around handing children snow cones because the day had been unusually hot. When she passed one to Meng she said 'I don't want anything from your thieving family.' Katara didn't know how to respond and the little menace continued, 'If it wasn't for your cheating ancestors I would have been the one, not you.' And suddenly half of Katara's hair fell down, as if it were cut. She screamed and people rushed to see what was wrong, and when they looked for Meng, she was gone. We still don't know what she was talking about, but after that, more incidents involving Katara and Sokka Reibu happened." The class was petrified, and Aang couldn't help almost laugh at the scene. I mean, they couldn't possibly believe that a little girl could have done that. Even if she does sound a little creepy, it could all simply be coincidences. Well, he was going to find out whether it is true or not in two days.

* * *

After they had finished with the sandwiches, Ryishi and Reibu were going to test the attractions. Their first stop was the Haunted House, something that would be rated on how scared they were. Suki was hiding on the roof of it and was going to go in when a stray baseball hit her in the head. The force knocked her into the ride; she groaned and wondered how far she fell. She saw the two looking rather bored as they toured the ride. "So when are the scary stuff going to come out?" Ryishi asked Reibu.

"Be quiet. I'm not paying you to complain."

"You're not paying me at all. I'm paying _you_."

 _"'Paying you'? What does Ryishi mean? I have to hear more,"_ Suki thought. She trailed after then as the pale purple light shone on her, she was becoming a little creeped out herself by being in there. Suki saw an empty car moving and got inside, she had just barely managed to get her seat-belt on when she was lurched forward by something; she turned and saw a life-sized skeleton right next to her. She had always been scared by those things and she screamed.

* * *

"Did you hear that?"

"What? The scream?"

"Yeah."

"Too bad it sounded so fake."

* * *

Suki screamed until her mouth was dry, and the cart made another sharp turn in a room filled with life-like bats, they flew in her face and she tried to bat them away. She heard someone say "This is so lame" and figured that she was getting closer to Ryishi and Reibu. The skeleton had its arm around her shoulder and she pushed it off. "When will I hear Ryishi or Reibu again?"

* * *

"Reibu, I see dead people."

"That is so not funny."

* * *

Suki wondered if she was going to make it off this ride still with her brain in check, because she had thought she heard the skeleton introduce himself and ask her name. "So, if I save you from anything that flies, then will my debt be paid?"

"You just keep dreaming, Ryishi, I'm going to need a bodyguard during the festival."

 _"Debt? Ryishi owes Katara?! What could he have possibly done to owe her?"_ She tried to come up with a solution to her problem, and a voice asked, "Do you mind if I scare you?"

"No, not at ALLHHH!"

* * *

"Well, that was the worst ride I've ever been on, and I have been on tons of terrible rides."

"For once, I agree with you, this certainly gets a big 'F'," Katara replied. Suki trailed after, her hair a mess, her throat sore, she didn't think that she would be able to talk for at least a week. Good thing she had completed her mission in the process.

Before leaving the festival grounds, she cast another glance at Zuko and Katara to see them talking to a couple who were looking for a baseball.


	7. Arc 2: The Fall Festival

**Note: If I think hard about it, I may have decided to completely ditch the fan-fiction idea after rewriting the first arc. I also may have started posting it here when I decided to stop.**

* * *

Arc 2: A Decaying Chain of Deceitful Lies  
Chapter 7: Where the Elite Meet to Eat Meat (The Fall Festival Chapter)

"Sokka, are you feeling all right?" Aang asked his friend. He hadn't eaten anything for breakfast save for a glass of milk, and now he wasn't eating his lunch either. It was only Katara, Sokka, and Aang who were eating lunch because Ryishi (whom, as it turns out, is merely paying back a debt to Katara) and Toph live off-campus and will be arriving shortly before the festival grounds open.

Katara was going to respond to his question, but Sokka was a bit quicker, "I'm preparing for the meat-eating contest, after which I'll be crowned the Meat Lord for the fourth year in a row!"

Aang gagged, "B-but animals are our friends. They were once alive, you know, before they became meat, they had families and children and friends just like us. They had favorite foods, favorite hangouts, like us. How could you be so cruel?!"

Sokka glared at his sister, "You didn't tell me that I became friends with some animal-loving, tree-hugging, vegetarian _HIPPIE!_ "

Katara slapped the back of his head, "What's wrong with you? Aang is our friend; you can't change what he believes. Sorry Aang, ignore my brother, he tends to get a little irrational when he misses meals."

"I am not irrational! I'm just a little edgy when it comes to my dinner."

Aang stared at his friend with big gray eyes, "Y-you're still going through with this?"

Sokka replied with an odd look, "Of course I am. Gran-Gran's counting on me to continue our year's supply of free meat."

There was a strange sound coming from the boy's throat as he rushed towards the nearest restroom; the elder teen cocked his head watching him before shrugging, "Wonder what his problem is?"

Azure orbs narrowed into slits, "You've just _traumatized_ him! You'd better go and apologize or else!"

Katara texted Toph, knowing that the beeps would tell her the message. " **HEY WILL YOU BE COMING SOON** " it read, Katara was about to send it when Sokka and Aang emerged from the bathroom. Her hand slipped when she had pressed send, and she sighed, and did it again. "Katara, I've decided that since I'm Sokka's friend I should support him in what he does."

"Oh, that's good, Aang," she replied.

"So I'm going to be cheering from the sidelines blindfolded," Katara noted that Sokka had a big grin on his face, _"Definitely his idea…"_ she thought.

* * *

Iroh was sweeping Zuko's room when he heard a beeping. It had been three days since he began moving his stuff to his "bungalow". Iroh had no idea that his brother had been teaching the young boy, that thing could have been mistaken for a mansion. He picked up Zuko's phone and saw the message, since he didn't have his glasses on, he saw that it read: "EMERGENCY COME SOON".

His eyes widened in surprise, there was obviously a girl in need of help, but should he alert the Dai Lee? Probably not, in case he was merely overreacting, but what if she was truly in some kind of danger?

"Nephew!" he shouted into the phone.

"What is it _now_ , Uncle?!" the ticked off voice of the firebender asked.

"There is a girl in trouble!"

"Uncle, how many times must I tell you that's just the TV, it's not real. Now could you please leave me alone, I was just taking a nap when you called."

"No, on your phone a girl sent you a message saying that she was in trouble."

The line went dead. "Hello—? Nephew?"

* * *

Reibu was in danger! Zuko fanatically managed to get his clothes on before sprinting towards the nearest bus station. (Ryishi's bike was still in the shop at this moment.) What if she was kidnapped and he was the first person she could have thought of? He just had to get to the school.

* * *

"Hmm… so you and Bei Fong were paired up for the 'child tours'?" The azure-eyed girl asked the young boy.

"Yep, here is the list, Katara," she and Sokka looked over the list, making a few notes to themselves before their eyes opening wide enough that their eyeballs could fall out.

"You had Shukuma on there and you didn't bother telling us until two hours before the Festival?!" The siblings exclaimed in unison.

Aang stammered, "I-I didn't know that you guys believed in those rumors."

" _Rumors?_ That's the straight truth!"

"Sorry guys…"

Katara smiled, "That's okay, Aang, we'll be fine. Sokka, isn't it time to do _the thing_?"

The teen stared at his younger sister, "What thing— _Oh_! That thing, yes you're right. Sorry, Aang, but this thing is very important."

Aang nodded and waved goodbye while the two started slowly backwards. "Just walk away, real slow-like," Katara said to Sokka through her forced grin.

"REIBU!" The Reibu siblings automatically went into the defense positions that they had learned in self-defense class while turning in the direction of the voice. The person, after seeing their icy glares, nearly fell over backward and dishevel himself even more than he was already. His hair had stray leaves and sticks matted in, his black trench-coat had mud stains and his pale face had a sort of fazed look planted on it. "I...must…save…Miss…Reibu…" he said before falling on his face.

"Is it dead?" Sokka mused while trying to poke the body.

Katara gave him an odd look and shook her head, "He's only asleep. What on earth would have given Ryishi the idea that I was in danger?"

The boy's form stirred slightly before he groggily raised his torso so that he was in a sitting position. His body slightly rocked while he stretched his arms and yawned loudly, still not aware that he was in the school lunchroom. The three friends stared in awe as they caught a glimpse at his set of teeth. Katara huffed before saying to the two boys proudly, "I told you he has fangs."

In hearing the voice of Katara, Ryishi's eyes snapped open, "Huh? Why am I—Reibu! I have to save her!" he scurried to his feet, but before he stood up, a hand pushed him back down to his previous position. "Whoa there, Lord Sunshine, now could you please explain why you think that Katara is in danger?"

The teen took a deep breath before replying, "You see, I had forgotten my cell at my Uncle's house while I was moving out and earlier today he received a text message from Miss Reibu so I rushed over here to find out what happened, but since Seishoki had trashed my bike, I had to take the bus, but every time I would be a little too late and cars would splash mud on me. Then I accidentally trampled a bird's nest, (I don't know why it was on the ground in the first place) and the mother started attacking me. In the struggle, I had mistakenly set a tree on fire, (I had only a flame in my palm, the tree was fine, by the way) causing an angry mob to start chasing me because at the moment I had appeared to be some sort of monster to them covered in leaves, twigs, and mud. I managed to outrun them, but not before falling into a backyard pool and becoming soaked to my skin."

"And…?"

"Well… I sort of evaporated all the water in the pool during my rage at this awful day, before finally making it here. And I have a feeling that this day will continue to go badly for me."

"Aw, don't be so down, Ryishi; we still have the festival to oversee."

* * *

Toph's breath hitched, as she sensed the all-too-familiar vibrations of Meng. She pulled on Aang's sleeve and he looked up and for a split second in the crowd saw a young girl with unkempt hair that stuck out in two braided pigtails. Her face seemed to stare blankly at them before the figure was lost in the crowd.

Aang blinked to make sure that he wasn't seeing things, but the strange girl was suddenly behind him saying, "Well hello, there." Aang had expected the girl to do something horrid to him, and was visibly afraid of her greeting.

The boy slowly raised his hand and returned the greeting. There was an awkward pause the lingered in the air before the small girl asked him, "What's your name?"

"Umm…Aang," he quickly said, not including his last name for personal reasons.

"That rhymes with Meng, and you sure have some pretty big ears," she beamed.

He self-consciously covered his ears while trying to stop the blush that was coming to his cheeks. "Toph, what should I do?" he whispered into the blind girl's ear.

She replied, "Don't worry; she only has a bad attitude when one of the Reibu siblings are around. SHUKUMA! You'd better not be trying to scare away another freshman! Sit down and wait for the rest of the group like a normal human!"

The girl's eyes widened at the sudden orders and she sat down with a huff, but not before casting another glance at Aang, "Well, Aang, it is very nice to meet you. _Very nice_."

"What was with then whole 'big ears' thing anyway?" Aang asked Toph after Meng had gone.

"No one knows, rumor has it that Aunt Wu had foresaw that her lover would have big ears," Toph shrugged and Aang couldn't help but feel a little nauseous.

* * *

Zuko once again clutched his stomach in an attempt to quell another growl from it. In his rush to "save Katara" he had ended up skipping lunch, and was already beginning to feel the consequences. "Shut up already," he muttered.

Katara, catching the hint of Zuko's voice abruptly turned to face him, "Did you just say something?"

"Why, your ears must be mistaken, milady, because I had not uttered a single letter this entire time," his smile did wary the girl slightly, however she simply dismissed it as paranoia.

After a few more minutes of walking, Reibu stopped and turned to Zuko with a sigh, "Ryishi, do you know why I need you to serve as a bodyguard?"

The older teen hadn't really asked himself that question until the girl had noted it out and he shook his head in reply. "By now you've heard about Meng Shukuma, am I right?"

She didn't give him a chance to reply when she continued, "Well, I'm afraid, okay. Not necessarily at her, but at my history. After the first incident I had asked my grandmother about our family line. Her eyes widened for a second before returning to her usual warm aura and she kindly replied to me with 'I'll tell you when you are ready.' When will I be ready? And when I am, will I want to hear it? It's just so confusing."

Zuko didn't know how to react to this girl pouring her thoughts on him, so he said the first thing that popped into his mind, though it be a little rude, "Why are you telling _me_ this?"

Katara let out something of a forced laugh, "Why _am_ I telling you this? Perhaps it's been on my mind for so long, and it was just waiting to be told to someone. It's difficult for me to keep something bottled up for long."

The teen was about to tell her that it was just the opposite with him when his stomach growled again. The girl cocked her head slightly at him before stifling a giggle, "I see that the day's earlier escapade had required you to miss lunch."

Trying to hide the blush creeping up his cheeks, he said to the girl, "Isn't your brother participating in a meat-eating contest?"

Katara snapped her fingers in realization, "That's it! You're a genius, Ryishi! I just hope it's not too late."

"Hold up—Reibu, where are you going!"

Zuko huffed as he finally caught up with the girl in blue who was scribbling something, "What…on…earth…do you think you're…doing?"

Katara looked at him, and then pulled out her cell to check the time, "You're slow, you know that?"

"I told you, I'm still a little groggy from earlier. Plus, I don't enjoy running on an empty stomach."

"Well, you won't have to, because I've signed you up for the hotdog-eating contest."

"Reibu, that's very nice of you, but—YOU _WHAT_?!"

* * *

Ever since the tours had started, the strange gray-eyed girl had practically attached herself to Aang's side. Much to the discomfort of the new student, "Toph, help me."

For the first time Aang saw that Toph had an indifferent expression on her face, "Sorry, Gyago, but this is the first time that the little monster has ever acted normal, and I made a promise to Sokka and Katara that I'd keep her far away from them."

 _"What?"_ Aang thought, but suddenly realized that the girl intended to leave him there with the strange child. "I was wondering when she'd ditch you, but no matter. Now we're together at long last," she squeezed his arm tighter.

* * *

"…And then we'll spend our honeymoon on Ember Island before getting rid of the loose ends (that stupid group you hang around with) and settling down to have twelve children," the small girl finished telling the boy her plan for their future.

 _"Is this girl a psycho nut?"_ Aang thought. _"I have to find a way to get rid of her before she handcuffs me to herself."_

"Hey Meng," Aang said.

"Yes?" she asked while still clutching his arm.

"How about we…?" Aang gulped, not sure if she would see through his plan.

"How about we what, Aangy?"

"How about we go in the 'Tunnel of Love'?"

Meng beamed, "Really? I didn't think you—but right now? Of course I would! It would be so… _romantic_."

"Yeah… _right_ ," Aang nervously said. _"I have to find a way to ditch her and find out if Katara is doing okay."_

People around them were staring at the odd couple as they queued the Tunnel of Love. Aang, being easily nervous when stared at, uneasily pulled at the girl's sleeve, trying to get her to understand. However, she thought that Aang wanted everyone to know about their "relationship."

"Guess what, everybody? We're going to be married!" Aang's face turned beet red as he nearly dragged the girl on the ride.

"What's wrong with you?!" he screamed.

She seemed to get smaller, "Aren't you happy?"

"No, Meng. I mean, I know you like me and all, but that's only because that fortuneteller lady said you would. There are plenty of other guys with big ears; it doesn't have to be me."

"So…you don't like me?" Tears started to form in her gray eyes.

"No, no. I do like you, just not…"

"The way I like you," Meng finished. "It's okay. That Reibu girl _is_ pretty."

If Aang had been drinking something, he would have spat it in the girl's face. "K-Katara?" He stuttered, his face red.

"It's obvious that you like her, even a lemur could see that."

"Twinkletoes!" Aang and Meng abruptly turned towards the direction of the voice to see Toph hurrying towards them.

She panted slightly and Aang guessed that she had been running for a while, "If you're going to root for Sokka, you'd better hurry."

* * *

Zuko stared at the strange thing ( _"They call this food?"_) in front of him. Was he supposed to eat it? He saw Katara's brother sitting right across from him glaring right into his eyes. The teen averted his gaze in fear that even his look could freeze him, despite the other not being a bender.

Now, back to the issue of this "meat" in front of him. How did you eat it? Did you take it out from the holder or did you eat the holder as well? Zuko had no idea what to do. If you were merely going to eat it, why have a contest? Obviously anyone could eat a "hot dog", but what if this contest was about who could eat it the best way? His head was starting to pain him with all the questions he was asking himself. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to watch everyone else and see what they did.

* * *

Katara was in the sidelines staring at Ryishi oddly. _"Why is he staring at the hot-dog like that? It's like he doesn't even know what it is. What if he **doesn't** even know what it is? Now _ that _would be something."_

Katara turned her gaze from Ryishi to Sokka, _"There's my brother. Large, determined, egotistic smile as always."_

"Hey, Katara!"

"Aang! I'm glad you—Aang?" Katara sighed as she saw the blindfolded boy hugging a pole.

"Katara, are you feeling all right? You're skin feels so cold all of a sudden," Aang asked worriedly while Katara and Toph shook their heads in disbelief.

Katara went over and took his arm, "I'm over here, Aang."

"Oh!" Aang said, blushing.

"So, Sugar Queen, when's this thing going to start?"

"Not sure—"

Katara was cut off. "Attention! The hotdog eating contest is about to start. On your mark. Get set. GO!"

Aang immediately started hyperventilating as horrid images flooded into his mind, Katara sensing it, tried to soothe her friend's uneasiness, "Okay, calm down, imagine that this is a… _salad_ -eating contest, okay?"

She received a nod in reply and breathed a sigh of relief, but that didn't last long. She turned her eyes back to the contest, watching her brother gorge himself with the frankfurters. However, Ryishi seemed to be staring at the other people without taking even a single bite.

 _"Why isn't he doing anything? I put good money on him! Why is he looking at me like that?"_ Katara inwardly shouted at the firebender.

* * *

 _"Miss Reibu looks pretty upset at me, knowing her she probably had placed some money on me winning. Well, I guess there's no harm in actually trying the thing. … … Hmm… This thing actually tastes_ good _! I wonder why I've never had one of these before? … … Why, I must have more! No wonder Sokka is so fascinated by this stuff!"_

* * *

Katara was confused—and for good reason too! A minute ago Ryishi was staring at the hotdog like it was some foreign object, and now— _now_ he was ingesting them like he had only a day to live.

"Go, Sokka, go!" Aang cheered, after Toph turned him around to face the correct direction.

Toph, already having predicted the outcome, whispered to Katara, "I see, not only have you managed to get yourself a lackey (which for some reason I haven't accomplished yet) whom you work to death with useless tasks, but you've also managed to starve him half to death with the pace he's going at just to ensure your own personal victory over your brother. … I have taught you well."

"I did learn from the master, after all," Katara replied.

"Yes you did."

* * *

Sokka had to come up with a plan—and fast, he was losing by an overwhelming margin. He tried to glare once again at his prime opponent, but only in vain since to him he was anything but human; he seemed like some sort of machine that was pulled from the realm of reality set with a single goal: to humiliate Sokka Reibu.

 _"This can't be happening. I cannot be losing to that **thing**. I shudder even thinking about it. This is not going to happen. I just have to push myself. Go the extra mile in order to meet my goal."_ So that's what he did. Although after taking one more bite he ended up passing out right there and therefore ultimately losing to the person who on that very day swore revenge to.

* * *

"So, did you win, Sokka?" Aang beamed after Toph removed the blindfold from his eyes.

Sokka, who had been leaning on Katara's right shoulder, slowly raised his head to reveal bloodshot eyes before calmly saying, "No, Aang, I didn't win, but I did gain something… an enemy. An enemy that I will battle with until the very end of time. An enemy that…"

"Sokka," Katara started, nearly letting Sokka fall on his face as she started to follow the procession that congratulated the new Meat Lord. "Just get over it."

"What?! How dare you! I will _not_ get over it, you hear me, Katara Reibu?" Sokka shouted to his departing sister.

Once she was not visible again, he asked Toph and Aang, "What's up with her?"

He received simultaneous shrugs from the freshmen before getting a suggestion from Toph (along with a punch in the shoulder), "How about we go and have some tea at the Jasmine Dragon?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm not going to associate with relatives of that _freak_!"

"Suit yourself. C'mon, Aang, Katara's probably waiting for us."

"Yeah, go ahead! Betray me, so what? Go off with the enemy! I don't care!" Sokka huffed as he went to catch a bus home.


	8. Arc 2: The Chain Broken

**Note: There was another really dumb thing a character said in this chapter that I had to change for my sanity. Otherwise, it is untouched. As I think you'll realize, the chapters tend to get longer and longer.**

* * *

Arc 2: A Decaying Chain of Deceitful Lies  
Chapter 8: The Chain…Broken

Katara was just finishing signing the approval that raised the budget for the swim club when the vice-president came rushing in with tears in her eyes. "Katara! The most horrid thing has happened!"

The president, alarmed, took her friend by the hand and asked, "What happened?"

"Zuko is absent today! Isn't it awful?" she cried.

"Who?" Katara asked, not quite sure who this "Zuko" was.

"Ryishi! He has never been absent from school a single day in his life, and I'm afraid something terrible might have happened to him!" Ty Lee then began to pour out tears on Katara's shoulder mumbling things about how sad life would be without the firebender. As she patted the girl's back, Katara began to realize that there wasn't a single day that she remembered Ryishi being absent.

"Did you call him?" Katara asked.

"Yes, and he didn't answer! Katara, what if he's…" she stopped herself, the concept too much for her to bear before starting to cry again.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's just fine," she reassured.

"But what if he isn't?" Katara never thought of that. What if something bad _did_ happen to Ryishi. That would mean she wouldn't have a lackey anymore. _"Okay,"_ she decided. _"If someone was out to get me, then this means **war**!"_

"Ty Lee," she said while picking her friend up. "We are going to find out what happened to Ryishi, I promise."

The vice's brown eyes widened, "Oh, really? Thank you so much, Katara! But, how are going to bring out the perpetrator?"

The president's smile made the girl realize what she would say before she even said it. "Sabotage."

Sokka snorted. The day so far had gone badly for him; word quickly spread of Ryishi's absence, and everyone was blaming him. As another water-balloon hit the back of his head, Sokka couldn't hold it in any longer. "For crying out loud! I didn't do anything to him, and on top of that, all of you thought he was a weirdo! It's not like he was popular or anything. So leave me alone!"

After a few brief moments of silence, Sokka guessed that his point had gone through, but as he later found out, they were merely restocking on ammo.

"Arrgh!" he screamed. Why must the universe be constantly torturing him?

"Hey, Sokka, are you trying a new look?" Aang. Always the one to ask stupid questions. But Sokka knew he couldn't very well be upset at him. I mean he was, after all, still quite new to how things went down in Ba Sing Se.

Sokka opened his mouth to tell his friends about his life, but Toph raised her hand, "Sokka, whatever problems you may be having. Please don't involve Aang and me in them."

Oh yes, Toph. Always the one to ignore his feelings and make fun of him. Why did he acknowledge her as a friend again?

"Attention all Phoenix High students and faculty, anyone who brings me information on the disappearance of well-known student Zuko Ryishi will automatically receive a ten-fold raise of their salary or club budget. That will be all."

Reibu stared in pure shock as his sister's voice rang from the speakers. Unbeknownst to her, she has just signed her own brother's fate. He then turned to face the other students who were previously already throwing water-balloons at him, now ready to take him straight to the head of the student council. "Guys, you know I wouldn't do it. Me, Sokka Reibu, please don't take me to my sister," he resorted to begging.

Haru Kuchige, who had been among the crowd said, "I don't know. Some people reported hearing you swear revenge to Ryishi. Well, this seems like a good revenge plan, now."

The teen was about to admit defeat before an idea came up in his head. "I guess you're right. I must turn myself in," after that, he broke into a fast sprint, "As if! I'm not going down without a fight!"

* * *

He hated this part of every day. Waking up was a removal from a peace that seemed to last forever, and if school wasn't a necessity, he would have gladly done so. He groaned as he propped himself up on the bed, still not aware of the beeping coming from his alarm clock. His body ached him so, the only sign as to what had happened the previous day was a plastic crown half-way in the trash bin. _"Suck it up,"_ he sternly told himself. _"You're not going to miss school all because of some tense muscles."_ He forced himself to open his eyes and he became aware of the time. 12:00

"W-what?!" he exclaimed, before jumping out of the bed. He paced around the room for some time, "How on earth could I have overslept for this long? I wasn't _that_ out of it, was I?"

He started to make his way to a mirror when a sharp pain began to engulf him; he crouched on the ground, trying to suppress the pain while crawling to the bathroom.

After the pain had subsided, he pulled himself up to the sink and looked at himself in the mirror; his face was a deathly pale that nearly scared himself when he saw it. _"What on earth is wrong with me?"_ he asked himself.

He shook his head before suddenly freezing at the sight of his own eyes. His pure golden eyes, the pupils dilated in the shape of a diamond. He was either _really_ sick or was seeing things. His hand graced the ceiling before resting on his forehead. Wait…that's not right… Either his arms were longer or he was taller, he couldn't tell as he rushed for his cell.

 _"Hold up a minute,"_ Zuko thought. _"I can't tell anyone! They'll think I'm some sort of crazy! And even if they_ do _believe me, I'll probably end up in some top-secret laboratory. I'll just stay in bed and—"_ He looked at his phone. **45 MISSED CALLS** —Ty Lee Taiso. _"Okay… At least I know_ one _person actually knows I'm gone."_

* * *

Murmurs rang around the room as the accused stepped forward. Out of all the students, the most surprised of them was President Katara Reibu. As two students brought the accused to the front of the room, only two words escaped the president's mouth, "Sokka, why?"

Her brother raised his defeated head, "Katara, listen. Please believe me when I say that I'm not the bad guy here, I didn't do anything to Ryishi. Someone must have set me up."

Mai Kurai sat down, feeling quite bored in the judge's seat. Since the honorable Madame President happened to be related to the accused, she had to be the one to bring justice onto the situation.

"Could anyone please tell my why I am here in the first place?" she sighed. She still wasn't aware of any reason for a suspected plot involved with the absence of Ryishi.

Ty Lee then stood while holding a pink, engraved handkerchief to wipe the tears from her eyes, "This monster (sorry sweetie!) has taken away from me one of the three most important people in my life [Mai rolled her eyes at that] and I believe that justice should be brought to this." Murmurs of agreement rang from the student body.

* * *

 _"Okay… calm down now. This all must be normal (somehow) and I shouldn't be worrying so much about this. I mean, it has to be normal for me to be now seven feet tall, right? [Heh, heh.] Yeah, and it must be normal…for me…to feel…so… **itchy**. What the…?"_ He looked down at his arm to see that his skin was actually peeling off, revealing a pale, rash-like shade of cobalt blue. _"Now I'm turning blue?!"_

He tried to convince himself that he was merely suffering from an allergic reaction to the hotdogs, but couldn't quite do it. Something was definitely wrong with him, and it didn't just begin that day. He'd suspected it ever since his hair began to turn blue, which was the very reason that he now wore a top hat daily, and the fact that he now sported four large canine teeth. "I'm a freak," he said after a few more moments of scratching. "I don't know what I am, but I'm certainly not a human." He scratched his chin, now unusually coarse to the touch, and he rushed for a mirror to see that pieces of his skin now lay scattered on the floor and his face now covered in blue scales. He groaned before plopping down on his bed shouting into his pillow "When will this nightmare end?!"

* * *

"So, what do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Reibu?" Mai asked Sokka after said "witnesses" gave their testimonies.

Sokka stood up, his pride still not lost gave a long look at the crowd before saying, "I'm innocent."

The judged raised an eyebrow, suddenly not feeling as bored anymore. "Your honor, would it be acceptable to organize a small party to try to solve this mystery before you pass judgment?" He suggested.

"Hmm... your request does seem to intrigue me, and merely sentencing you to the make-shift dungeon that the honorable Madam President made during her spare time would be rather boring, you request is passed. You have until Monday to complete your quest." Mai smiled at his persistence. Perhaps the Reibu family wasn't all that stupid after all.

* * *

"We're going on a top-secret mission? Cool!" Aang exclaimed after Sokka chose him, Toph, and Katara as his search team.

"So not cool," Toph commented, "Aang, Sokka is just using us as an excuse to go play detective."

Sokka waved Toph away, "Don't listen to her, Aang. I just need to prove my absolute innocence in this case." He then turned to his sister, "Katara, Ryishi is practically your lackey, so where would he be most likely to hang out?"

"We could always check the tea shop to see if Iroh has seen him."

Sokka nodded and pointed in no particular direction and called out, "We'll find you yet, Zuko Ryishi!"

Katara was confused, "Okay... seriously guys. Is Zuko his last name or something?"

* * *

"All right, Mr. Iroh—if that's your real name?" Sokka questioned.

The elderly tea-shop owner turned his gaze to the teenager, "Sokka, I told you that you could call me Uncle Iroh."

"Enough with the excuses!" Katara slapped her forehead in irritation.

"Okay, old man! Spill! What's your relationship to high-school student Zuko Ryishi?"

Iroh stuttered, alarmed at the sudden change in the teen's tone, "I'm his uncle."

"All lies! Is it true that you found him in an abandoned alien spacecraft eight years ago and he threatened you not to tell anyone and to adopt him as your long-lost nephew?"

"Aliens?! Katara, has he been watching...?"

"Silence! I'm the one asking the questions here," Sokka cut him off. "Ryishi's sudden disappearance. Was he finally called back from the mother ship to return to his home planet?!"

Iroh looked sternly into Sokka's eyes, "Children, I appreciate that you are playing 'Hide-and-Seek' with my nephew; however, my costumers may think that you are really interrogating me and call the Dai Lee. I do not know where my nephew is hiding, but I certainly know he's not here."

* * *

Toph clapped her hands as they were "escorted" out of the Jasmine Dragon. "Wow, Snoozles, that alone killed all my favorite interrogation scenes by a long-shot. I can't believe that you even got him to threaten to call the Dai Lee on us. You have now moved up a rank on my 'Coolness meter'. I now dub thee Captain Boomerang." Sokka grimaced at Toph's new nickname for him, but was secretly proud of having gained more respect from the tiny menace.

"So, where to now?" Aang asked, the excitement of adventure still running through him.

"We can ask people around town if they've seen him," Katara suggested.

"We'll split up. Katara, you go with Aang. Toph, you're with me. Meet back here in two hours and we'll see what we come up with."

* * *

 _"It's been a while since I've talked to Katara,"_ Aang thought. _"Ever since she hired Ryishi, we have hardly seen her around at school, and her normal days were filled with her going shopping and making Ryishi carry all her bags."_ This could be his chance! If there was any time to ask Katara what everyone wanted to know, this was it. He cleared his throat and Katara stopped in front of an electronics store. "K-Katara?"

"Yes, Aang," she inquired.

He took a deep breath before starting, "Do you...?" Katara shushed him ("Sorry Aang, hold that thought.") and turned his attention towards the TVs.

The anchorman was announcing breaking news that involved the Freedom Fighters. "The rag-tag group of teenage activists has now surrounded the Fire Nation ambassador's hotel and is demanding the Fire Nation's departure from the city. We have spoken to their leader Jet Seishoki and here is what he had to say:"

The small screen then took over the focus as Jet's face came into view. "The Fire Nation is a group of ruthless low-lives who would never agree to peace! Yet you all welcome them to your city and to your lives with joy! Haven't you forgotten the Rebellion? When firebenders came and forced us out of our own homes! How can you still trust them?! We will never truly be free with them in the midst of us."

The two teens turned as they heard murmurs of agreement from the small crowd that had formed around the store. Someone climbed on a box and said, "That Seishoki kid is right! I lost my wife to those raids, and I'm sure that some of you lost someone as well. Those monsters even attend school with our own children! Something has to be done! Who's with me?"

Katara pulled Aang from the scene and they hurried off to the Fire Nation embassy.

* * *

A lone figure sat on a rooftop, the entire thing unfolding before his eyes, which were hidden by a laughing blue mask. His life just kept becoming worse and worse for him as he decided that he was going to leave the city and live on his own. He was about to leave a good-bye letter to his uncle when he decided to see what was happening, and maybe—just maybe, that one choice was going make his life take a turn for the better.

Just maybe...

* * *

They were now pushing through the scores of people who had gathered around the Fire Nation embassy for mainly the same reason: To see what that Seishoki kid was up to _this_ time.

"Jet!" Katara screamed once she and Aang were in hearing distance from the teen. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Seishoki turned at the sound of her voice and waved to the students, "Hey, Katara! Come over here!"

"What is all this?" Aang asked under his breath.

The girl that Aang remembered seeing with Jet a few days ago answered, "Firebenders have terrorized us with their flames for too long, so we decided to give them a taste of their own medicine."

The freshman then saw the pure horror of the plan. They wanted to _burn down the embassy._ After Aang had told Katara, she stared into the elder teen's eyes and said, "What about the people inside? What will become of them?"

"Katara, I had Pipsqueak and The Duke check the place out, it's completely empty. No harm done, just a little warning to all the Fire Nation freaks in the city," Jet assured, along with a pat to Aang's head. But he, however, wasn't comforted at all. _"Something isn't right. Even though Seishoki said that there was no one inside, he seems to be hiding something."_

Jet took a microphone from a nearby reporter and shouted, "The time has come!" He was met with a wave of applauds. "For the day that the Fire Nation leaves our shores once and for all!" He lit a match and threw it on the pile of gasoline. The building immediately went up in flames.

A woman cried out, "My son! My son! He's still inside!" She managed to push through the crowd and was now at Jet's feet pleading for help. Katara recognized the woman as Mrs. Kurai, and by the look in Seishoki's eyes, she knew that the teen couldn't care less about a Fire Nation child. "You...you knew?" Katara managed to get out before she and Aang were restrained by some Freedom Fighters.

Jet sadly looked at the two teens and said, "I thought you'd understand, Katara. Losing your mother to a 'so-called friend' from the Fire Nation. You of all people should know the true nature of those Fire Nation monsters."

"You're wrong! What is being done here is monstrous! And you, Jet, you are the monster," a lone tear fell down Katara's cheek as the flames grew.

Aang struggled against the guards with little success, if only... He should have gone in himself; he knew that something was off. He could have saved this child. And as he was thinking these thoughts, out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure glide into the burning building.

"Aang," he heard Katara start. "I'm sorry I brought you here; you should never have to see something like this in your entire life. If only I was stronger, just a little, then maybe I could have done something. But here I am, ultimately unable to do anything at all..."

"Katara..." Aang tried to interrupt.

"I'm sorry, Aang. I'm just so useless; I wish I was like Toph; I can't even stand up to Seishoki. I..."

"Katara..." Aang tried more firmly. She looked up at him, and he turned her attention to what every single person in the crowd was looking at.

She gasped. Coming out of the flames was a cloaked figure in a laughing blue mask carrying a small bundle in his coat. He walked up to the woman and gave it to her revealing the small toddler. He mumbled in a hoarse voice, "Here you go," then ran to the nearest alley. Some followed, but by the time they got there, the figure was gone without a trace. No one said a word, and the crowd slowly began to disperse, either because nothing was happening, or they now saw the evil nature in Seishoki's plan.

Aang and Katara were released, and the woman now held her son (Katara now remembering the name of Mai's brother, Tom-Tom) in her arms.

As they were walking towards the meeting place, having already too much of an adventure, they discussed the mysterious figure who saved the boy. After a while of talking, Aang said, "I guess it doesn't really matter 'who' he is, it's 'what' he is. And what he is—is a hero." Katara smiled in agreement.


	9. Arc 2: The Blue Spirit

**Note: I had to change another really dumb thing that made me want to go back in time and slap myself. Also, praise the Lord I didn't use HTML formatting this time. (I didn't have to manually italicize and remove the tags.)**

* * *

Arc 2: A Decaying Chain of Deceitful Lies  
Chapter 9: The Mysterious Boy in the Laughing Blue Mask

"Toph, for the last time, there wasn't anyone jumping across those buildings! I looked myself!" Aang and Katara made it to the meeting place just to see Toph and Sokka bickering over whether or not there was someone jumping from rooftops.

Sokka and Toph turned to face their friends, the small girl with her arms crossed, and the elder teen said to his sister, "Katara, could you _please_ explain to Toph that people can't jump across buildings!"

Katara and Aang looked at each other for a moment before Aang replied, "Well, Sokka, you do know that the chances of Toph 'seeing' someone that high is low. And we did experience a blue-masked man save a little boy from a burning building. So Toph is most likely right."

In a flash Sokka was by his sister's side, thoroughly checking her over for any injuries. "You were near a burning building?! Are you hurt? Please tell me I won't have to take you to a hospital!"

Katara blushed before placing a reassuring hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Don't worry, Aang and I are okay."

Sokka wiped his forehead, "Thank goodness. By the way, did you two find anything relating to Ryishi's disappearance?"

"No" Katara huffed, "But we _did_ run into Seishoki on the way. _He's_ the one who set the building on fire."

"Did the Dai Lee get him?" Sokka inquired; he didn't have to wait long for the answer because of Aang and Katara's faces.

"So what do we do now?" the Bei Fong heiress asked, reminding them that they still had yet to find the missing student. They each went into a thinking position before simultaneously asking, "Hmm..."

A light bulb lit up inside Sokka's head, "Why don't we ask your blue guy if he has seen him? I mean, if he really does jump around on the roofs of buildings, then he must have noticed a kid in a top hat!"

* * *

"...Numerous bystanders have now named this hero 'The Blue-masked Spirit' or simply 'The Blue Spirit'. Many have suspected him to be a lone waterbender who happened to be at the right place at the right time, but some call him the hero we have all yearned for—"

Jet shut the TV off before sliding deeper into the couch with a sigh. He was in the main clubhouse or meeting place for his group of rag-tag teens which also doubled as his exotic abode. Static clung to the screen of the television as he contemplated on his newly-found rival. How could this guy already have so much publicity? Not only did the guy ruin the "perfect plan" that would prove to the Fire Nation that they weren't wanted here, but now everyone thought that Ihe/i [Jet] was the villain. These people were being played for fools. For all they knew, this "Blue Spirit" of theirs could hardly be anything more than a common thief who decided to clear his slate with a single good deed. This whole phase will pass soon enough, Jet decided, and the people will immediately see the right in the Freedom Fighters' goals. One thing troubled him about this guy, though. He, along with the rest of the crowd were too dumbfounded at the sight of the hero to actually see that an element about him was not necessarily human... for lack of a better term. It began to make sense in Jet's mind at the time that he was not going to be dealing with anything that he's seen, but some unknown creature who has learned how to speak a proper human tongue. Another guess would be that this stranger was one of Ryishi's long lost relations that was now looking for him. He then scratched that out; if an alien was going to come and look for a relative then they'd most likely invade the city in order to find him. It was quite silly of him to even theoretically _assume_ that this guy had anything to do with Ryishi's disappearance, much less be his relative. But one thing was for sure in Jet's mind: The Blue Spirit was certainly no human.

* * *

They had decided to look in some of the unpopulated areas of the city to find the blue stranger before Katara stated that she had to do something.

"Really?" Aang asked. "Where are you going?"

Katara stuttered, "Just someplace I saw when I took a short drive one day. I promise I'll be back quickly."

Sokka looked at his younger sister with concern, "Just don't talk to any strangers and be back home in an hour, okay?"

She nodded before getting in Sokka's car and driving away. It wasn't until she was out of view when Sokka came to this realization, "How are we going to get home?!"

* * *

 _"Katara," she turned at the sound of her name and faced the firebender. "Could you do a favor for me?"_

" _Yeah, sure, what is it?" she replied._

" _Don't tell anyone about this place, please. Not even my uncle knows where this is."_

So that is why Katara is now trudging through brush trying to find Zuko's bungalow. She sighed after she realized that she passed the same tree for the fourth time. Why was this place so hard to find? The buzzing sound of a motor running made Katara recall that Ryishi owned a motorbike. _"So if I followed the sound, hopefully I'll find Ryishi!"_

* * *

It suddenly occurred to Jet that there was the possibility that he would need to forcefully prove to the people about the evils of the Fire Nation. (And that was a sacrifice he was willing to take.) A plan which could possibly require a false kidnapping of a noble child. If all went well, the crowd would believe that the Blue Spirit was behind it and he would be praised as a hero. Yes, some sacrifices must be made for the cause of freedom.

* * *

Toph was about to knock at her door when she realized that it was slightly ajar. She pushed it lightly and said into the empty room, "Mom? Dad? Is anyone in here?" Without receiving a response, she cautiously walked inside, still calling for any sign of her parents. "Hey, is there—?" her question was cut off as a metal box enclosed her.

She banged her hands at the sides in an attempt to break free, "Hey, who do you think you're dealing with?!"

"Oh, just a little rich kid who will help me lure out the Blue Spirit," Jet's cackling voice echoed in the empty room.

* * *

Katara's plan of following the motorbike didn't go quite as she had hoped, for one thing, it proved difficult to pursue the motorist in the thick brake of the forest, and another, a motorbike was much faster than a sixteen-year-old girl. After noting the obvious, she then tried to call out to the person, which only made him go even _faster._

She emerged from the thicket with a gasp before recollecting herself and following the "mystery person" from Sokka's car.

* * *

Toph punched the metallic wall with her arm, and to no avail, it wouldn't even budge.

"Don't waste your time, brat," Jet's voice called out nonchalantly. "That cage is made of pure metal, and not even you can bend it." The blind girl's face was crestfallen. Metalbending was a mere foolish goal, no one had accomplished it yet. Well, not yet that is…

* * *

Zuko sped along the road, dodging cars and evading pedestrians. He knew that there was nothing safe at all about what he was doing, but there was no way that he would let Katara (or anyone else, for that matter) see him like that.

They were now in the Upper Ring, where all the wealthy folks lived. If he could only cut through Toph's house, then he would be home free… Wait… Why were Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong speaking to the Dai Lee? And why wasn't Toph anywhere in sight? As Zuko rode by, he slowed down and caught some words from the distraught woman's mouth. "Please bring us back our sweet daughter."

Was Toph kidnapped? But who would kidnap her? She has beaten up lots of people, but who would have the guts to seek revenge?

Jet

* * *

 _"_ _Why did he slow down when passing Toph's house?"_ Katara thought. After she saw the Dai Lee agents in front of the house, she parked her car in front and ran up to the troubled couple. _"Sorry, Zuko, but whether or not you want me to find you, this is more important."_

"Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong, what happened?" Katara asked.

Toph's mother answered, choking the words out through her tears, "Our little flower has been kidnapped!" The waterbender's eyes widened.

"By who?!" she shouted.

"We don't know, but oh, how scared she must be."

* * *

Poppy Bei Fong was wrong about that. In fact, Toph had taken this time to warn the Freedom Fighters of their fate once she figured a way out of her metallic cage.

"Hey! You want that Spirit guy to come fight you, Seishoki? Well, I assure you that I would put a good 'ole fashioned smack down on you ten times as good as that new guy!" She inwardly smirked, even from the cage she could sense that some of the "weaker" members were already being wary about what would happen once they actually got the Blue Spirit.

"I had planned to go and give you a nice big punch for calling Ryishi my boyfriend tomorrow, but I guess today would do _just as fine_."

What Toph did not know was that Jet was not even in the room at the time, however had left on a lunch break, and she had been scaring the poor new recruits so much, that I'm afraid one of them had actually wet himself.

A soft rumble was heard above them inside the ventilation system, before giving way to an ominous silence. No one said a word (not even Toph) before a loud crash was heard behind the door.

* * *

Katara didn't stay to hear the answer, she was already rushing back into Sokka's car, back to zooming after either Zuko or the Blue Spirit. He probably knew where she was being held. How? Katara could not piece that part out, but she knew he would lead her to her trapped friend.

He abruptly turned into an alley behind an abandoned factory and Katara had to make a u-turn to follow him. When she made it, he was gone. Well, not entirely, as she later found out when she noticed the motorcycle on top of the roof. How did he possibly get all the way up there?

Katara hoped her plan would work. She was never really good at climbing in the first place, and did not wish to do it now. But her best bet was following this guy, even if she didn't know who he was. She breathed deeply before calling the water to her fingers and freezing them so that they made clawed gloves on her hands. She struck her hand into the wall—it stayed! However, she realized that her feet needed something to hold on to as well and made alternating foot ledges out of icicles. Perfect, now she was on her way to help save Toph.

* * *

Jet burst through the door, huffing frantically as he held the door shut. As pushes were heard from the other side, it became obvious that some _thing_ wanted to enter. Seishoki barked at them, "What are you standing there for? Help me keep this door shut!"

The creature spoke in a hoarse, low voice, "You wanted me to come. Now I am here, so face me, Seishoki! You will let that girl go!"

Toph punched the wall in frustration. How could she be so useless? How could she possibly refer to herself as the greatest earthbender in the world when she couldn't break out of her cell? She kicked the wall in her anger, this time feeling a wave of vibrations come to her. She kicked it again, feeling earth falling into her will. She _was_ the greatest Earthbender in the world, and Seishoki would pay!

* * *

Katara had to resist the urge to shriek once again as a spider-fly walked by. She repeated to herself once again, _"Remember what Aang told you: They are more afraid of you than you are of them."_ She flinched when a small squeak behind her. No, this was definitely not like the time she and Zuko escaped from that hospital. As she continued along in the vent system, the muffled crashed started to clear and become louder. She inwardly hoped that nothing bad had happened to Toph. (But if they harmed a _hair_ on her head, well, let's just say her waterbending lessons were finally going to pay off.)

* * *

As the struggling to hold the door shut ceased, Jet now had another problem.

Their "captive" had now escaped and was now wielding two metallic gloves on her hands.

"I warned you, Jet Seishoki."

* * *

The Blue Spirit had given himself a few paces so that he could have a good running start. He had braced himself for impact, however (due to the fact that no one was holding the door any more) ended up falling on his face. "Okay… _Ow_ ," he mumbled as he pulled himself up. His golden eyes widened from behind the mask as he took the scene in. He saw Toph (the supposed damsel-in-distress) sitting casually on Jet's back eating a sandwich. (Presumably the one he'd seen the teen carrying when he chased him into the room.) The other Freedom Fighters were lying on the floor either half-unconscious or fully unconscious.

"Took you long enough," she said, once she realized his presence, she didn't seem to care that bread crumbs were on her face.

The masked boy looked at the girl in pure surprise. He knew she was more than capable of holding her own in a fight, but the fact that she broke out of a cage made of metal puzzled him.

She pretended to gaze at the tips of her fingers before saying, "You'd better close that mouth of yours, Bluey, you'll catch spider-flies. Surprised? Well, you're looking at the Greatest Earthbender in the World and the world's first metalbender."

As the girl got up, Jet groaned slightly from his injuries. How could one little girl cause so much _pain_? He was not going to lose, not just yet. There had to be a way to convince him to pack up and leave town, he needed another… _Katara?_ He blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Why was the waterbender here? Oh right, she and that miniature demon were friends. The earlier incident would most likely have destroyed any remaining trust Katara still had for him, but if he could just convince her to go along with his plan, then this "Blue Spirit" would no longer be a hindrance to his plans.

* * *

The reason that Katara crawled out of the are vents was that she had heard a big fight going on and wanted to see it. She slowly slid down from the opening and saw Jet on the ground, reaching out to her. "Jet?" she softly asked. She saw Toph and the Blue Spirit, who had taken a phone from the pocket of one of the unconscious members and was now talking to the Dai Lee.

"K-Katara?" he raised his head, weakly, but surely. As the girl drew some water in her hand, Jet slowly smirked. She always did have a soft spot for a sob story.

"Jet? What happened to you?" from their position Katara knew that Toph wouldn't know they were there, and she began moving the water over his wounds.

He gasped slightly as he felt the sensation of pain leaving his body, "I was set up… The Blue Spirit… he kidnapped Toph, then made a deal with her to take me out. Y-you have to help me."

He struggled slightly and Katara placed a cool hand to his head, soothing the pain. "What if he has Toph under his control? I wish there was something I could do."

"Katara," he spoke. "I know you feel bad about earlier, but trust me, I swear I didn't know that there was a little boy inside. And…I have a plan."

* * *

Zuko closed the phone and turned his gaze back to the blind earthbender. "They'll be here in a couple of minutes—wait… where's Jet?"

Toph turned and huffed, "He's right there—Huh?" She stomped the ground, his vibrations were gone.

"How could you let him get away? I thought you could feel the vibrations in the ground," the Spirit said.

"Yeah, but this floor is made of metal and I'm still getting used to bending it! You're the one with eyes, couldn't you see him crawl away?" he had no response to that, and they were quiet for a moment before a voice turned their attention.

"Well, I see you two are done with your little lovers' spat. Toph, Ryishi is going to be sad to hear that you've found another boyfriend." Toph visibly fumed. "Oh, Seishoki, I should have knocked you out when I had the chance!"

He stepped forward, revealing the now helpless Katara, her hands tied behind her back. They were on a wooden beam high above the two, and in this dilapidated warehouse, you have no idea what was going through the teen's mind. "Jet," Katara squeaked. "This isn't what you said would happen."

"Sorry Katara. As you see, Miss Reibu is now in an uncomfortable situation. I will let her go; that is, if you agree to leave town and let me rid this city of all Firebenders. Oh, and you'd better think quickly, my hands tend to slip under pressure."

 _-End of Arc 2-_


	10. Arc 3: A Transition into Vertigo

**Note: I was a little confused, because this is the last chapter of arc 2 in the original piece of fiction I'm writing. In my current version, arc 1 has 3 chapters, and arcs 2 and 3 each have 6. However, in this version, arc 1 has 4 chapters, arc 2 has 5 chapters, and arc 3 has 6 chapters.**

 **Also, I'm still happy I don't have to deal with HTML formatting anymore. I changed one word in this because inconsistencies are quite bothersome and rarely so easily fixed.**

 **This is actually one of my favorite chapters in terms of the dialogue and interactions between the characters.**

* * *

Arc 3: The Shattering Truth of it All  
Chapter 10: A Transition into Vertigo

The Blue Spirit snarled at Jet before returning his gaze to Toph; she looked down and said, "For the first time... I got nothing. Bluey, if you leave, you have no idea what Seishoki will do to the people from the Fire Nation. And if you don't... Then what would happen to Katara?"

"Miss Bei Fong, go and tell the Dai Lee to wait on the roof and around the building. I think I have a plan," he whispered to her. She nodded and left.

Jet laughed, "Well, I see that little girl isn't so tough after all."

"As I said earlier," Zuko said, while fumbling with his "cloak." "This is between you and me, Jet Seishoki, so let the girl go."

The "cloak" unraveled to reveal two large, scaly blue wings. Katara gasped; Jet seemed unimpressed. "A monster, are you? Well, that explains how you snuck that boy inside and staged that rescue." Katara looked at the Blue Spirit; she could hear a brief stutter from behind the mask before realizing that Jet had been completely level-headed, in absolute control of the situation.

"What are you talking about? _You're_ the one who trapped him in, not me!" His wings opened and he climbed up to a wooden beam similar to Jet's. Katara attempted to look at the both of them from her position. Which one was telling the truth?

"Really? Trying to trick her into believing you, how pathetic," Jet said, slightly loosening his grip on her. Katara's gaze was now fixed on how high they were and she gulped; that was at least a twenty foot fall, and it wouldn't end well for her. "Jet," she squeaked after she got her composure back. "Could you at least pretend to take me hostage somewhere stable?"

He sighed, "Katara, sacrifices must be made for the sake of justice. Don't you see? He's with _them_. Don't you remember your mother? She was betrayed by one of _them_." She closed her eyes. He was right, her mother was betrayed and lost her life because of a Fire Nation woman. Was this "Blue Spirit" guy really here to save her? Was Jet secretly committing some unknown favor to her? People from the Fire Nation were known for their ability to manipulate words and situations to their will. How could she be sure that Ryishi wasn't working with the Blue Spirit in order to get revenge on Jet?

The Blue Spirit understood what Jet was trying to do. He had never planned to drop her in the first place. He only needed to give her a reason to attack _him_ and eventually turn the whole city against him. Although he wouldn't mind leaving, after Jet's first attempt at retaliation against the Fire Nation citizens in the city, he knew he _had_ to be there to stop him. "Katara, please! Listen to me, Seishoki is only trying to mess with your head. Use your common sense for once!"

Jet finished untying the knots, releasing the waterbender. "I _am_ using my sense of logic, and it's telling me not to listen to you. And calling me 'Katara' only validated my suspicion that you and Ryishi are working together." Zuko inwardly slapped himself. Of _course_ Katara would think that he was working with himself. That explains why she was chasing him, she must have been looking for the Blue Spirit in order to find Zuko Ryishi.

She extended her arms, feeling the water vapor now falling into her will and blew at the air, making an ice floor form over the checkerboard pattern beams. As she got into a fighting stance, Jet spoke: "What you don't understand, Spirit, is that my way of peace is the only way that the Fire Nation will understand."

"That may be true, but it isn't the _only_ way for peace. Harassing innocent people is  not a good way to get the attention of the Fire Nation. Not only will that begin a war between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation, but everyone will see what you referred to as a time of 'infestation' as a time of peace. Would you want to be remembered as the person who helped destroy the world?" He was now voicing his thoughts to Katara and her stance faltered at that. He could have a point. Did Jet know about these consequences? She turned to the teen, who presently held a smirk on his face, his signature piece of wheat becoming a prominent feature of his face.

Katara unconsciously took a step backwards, closer to the Spirit, as soon as she saw the look in Jet's eyes. His smile was now as long as a cat's and he looked like he was trying to stifle a laugh. He took a step towards Katara—who took a couple more steps back—and said, "You thought that I wasn't aware of the sacrifices? Katara, I thought this through to the very end, and do you know what's there?" He laughed out loud, a laugh that reminded Zuko of someone he didn't want to remember. "Freedom."

He extended his hand to the girl, "We could be free. Those firebenders would finally pay for what they did to us—what they did to you, Katara. They took away your _mother_ , and because of them you hardly get to see your father anymore. Many people have felt the same loss; you could ease their suffering hearts. Join us."

Zuko was breathless as Katara hesitantly took a step towards Jet. He knew that he was a liar by nature—he'd spent too much time living with Azula to not be able to tell when a person was lying. Katara had no idea how big a mistake she would be making, and how much she would regret it. He just _had_ to stop her from making the biggest blunder in her life. As he thought these things, he found himself making his way towards her, his body heat rising, turning the ice floor into steam with each step. Time slowed down for Zuko as his brain only processed his goal to save her. It was obvious that Jet had other plans that involved both Katara _and_ him, which definitely weren't good. As Katara's hand nearly touched Jet's, Zuko's eyes widened as he noticed that he was pulling something from behind his back. "Katara!" He shouted, the word seemed to take ages to get out of his mouth, and his feet left the floor.

It did not take long for Jet to notice the Blue Spirit heading for him, he scowled and when Katara turned around at the sound of her name, grabbed the item behind his back. He had been told to use it only when the Keeper and the Guardian were together, he had figured that Katara was the Guardian and this "Blue Spirit" was most likely the Keeper. What he _did not_ notice, though, was the crackling ice which suddenly gave way underneath him and Katara, letting the item shatter upon impact with the floor and leaving Jet dangling from a beam.

The ice breaking had left Katara into a predicament that she would have never imagined. As the first attempt to grab her was a near miss, the Blue Spirit ended up catching her by his... wait... _Tail?_ Katara shook in momentary fear as she realized that he saved her life and wasted no time in telling him that.

"Umm...You're welcome?" He said, still trying to comprehend the fact that he now had a tail, and began moving his new limb in awe. (With it still wrapped around Katara, who was not amused.)

"Hey! Remember, I'm still here!" he snapped out of his trance of discovery and heard the sounds of the coming Dai Lee agents. In a move as not to be seen, he flew towards the roof; Jet, meanwhile pulling himself on a beam in time to see the Blue Spirit soaring to the roof, with Katara in tow. _"No,"_ he thought. _"I_ _need_ _the Organization's help, and the Keeper and Guardian will only come in my way. They have to be neutralized. That is the will of the Organization."_

* * *

Zuko let Katara down once there were on the roof before sitting down with a sigh. Katara had to catch herself, before being steady on the ground. She looked at the Spirit and asked him, "Why are you sitting like that?"

"Oh, it's nothing... It's just that I wonder why it was so easy to beat Jet earlier. I mean, I hardly did a thing to him, and the reason he wanted me seemed so...vague... And the fact that he wanted you as well makes this all the more confusing."

Katara placed her hands on her hips, "I don't think that should be a problem, I mean, Jet is messed up in his own ways, so why should a slight change worry you so? The Dai Lee is coming to take him away; he won't bother us anymore."

"I guess you're right," he said, standing up. "However, I can't help but feel a little wary about what's going to happen next..."

"You should," a voice said. They turned around to see Jet, along with eight Dai Lee agents behind him. "You may run, but you _cannot_ escape 'Them'."

"I think your feeling was right, Blue," Katara said as more of these "Dai Lee" agents came on the roof.

"These are the ones the Director requires, I'm sure," Jet said, and as it were a command, earthen fists were launched at them from four directions.

Katara was creating an ice shield to stop the attack when she found herself hovering in mid-air once again. "Hey! A little warning, please?" she said with an angry tone to her voice. Two large stones came at them in the air and Katara froze them with a breath of ice before hurling them back to their enemies. They were still badly outnumbered, though, they needed to cut down the number, "Hey, Blue, make some use of that tail and take out some of those guys." The Spirit nodded and did as she suggested, _"Wow, this is really cool!"_

Katara, now back on the ground for what seemed like the third time, knocked one out with a water whip and cast a short glance to the masked boy and thought, _"At least he now has better things to do with it rather than fly me around like some kind of rag doll."_

She smirked as she saw that they were gaining the upper hand in the battle, but was unaware of Jet coming behind with some kind of object in hand. The Blue Spirit caught it, however, and knocked Jet off his feet with a sweeping motion of his tail, the object rolling towards the edge—but was retrieved by Jet. The whistle, as it was, was blown and a shrill, high-pitched sound was heard by both the Blue Spirit and Katara. "You hear it? That's your end. The Director is on his way now."

Katara and Zuko could hear a helicopter launching from the direction of the school and saw the large, black aircraft coming towards the building. It now made sense, they should have left when they had the chance; Jet was merely stalling until this "Director" came—for whatever the reason he wanted them. More of these "Dai Lee" agents were coming on the roof, too many for them to count. The odds of them winning were now unbelievably small; Zuko glanced at his motorcycle and pointed it out to Katara. She crossed her arms and said, "Nuh uh, there is no way that I'm going on that thing!"

"Would you rather the _alternative_?" She frowned and strapped the helmet placed on her head. The Blue Spirit started the engine and was riding across on the roofs of the buildings. (His wings proving quite handy when they needed to jump on another building.) It didn't take long to make Katara now terrified of motorcycles, "Ah, _ah_ -I think I would have preferred to walk!"

* * *

As Katara screamed her lungs out, the Blue Spirit had been having the time of his life. He had never thought of _flying_ on his motorbike, and it was certainly an exciting experience. The petrified girl, now annoyed by his jovial laughter snapped, "We're being chased by countless Dai Lee agents and you're _laughing_?"

"Why not? Look around you, this is _amazing!_ "

"Yeah... Practically flying across roofs with a stranger that has wings (and a tail, I might add) while being chased by the secret police. Yeah, this is what I'd call fun." Katara had barely got out the rest of her sarcastic remark when the bike was no longer on the "safe" concrete of a roof, but now partway in the air with the ground approaching at a dangerous speed.

Another scream escaped the girl's mouth, met with even more laughter from the Spirit. As they zoomed across the streets, their pursuers made themselves known as potholes began to appear in the dark streets of Ba Sing Se. Katara by now had thoroughly convinced herself that this was the end of the line for them. The Spirit, however had only one thing to say to her.

"You'd better hold on tight."

Katara cocked her head and wondered, _"What is he thinking?"_

Her question was answered when the motorcycle veered straight for the field of sinking potholes. "Umm... I'm not trying to tell you how to drive this thing, but aren't we supposed to go _away_ from the subsiding deathtrap?"

The Spirit gained speed on the bike and glided smoothly while shifting the weight to the hind wheel, confirming Katara's thoughts that this guy was absolutely insane. He swung his foot around, turning the vehicle and successfully evading the first hole; the rest were done in a similar fashion, him shifting his own weight, guiding the bike with the utmost precision and class, along with a couple of freestyle moves he added in himself. Katara however, was not amused and wanted very much to be off this parade. The Blue Spirit responded with a laugh and said, "You can open your eyes now; it's over."

The girl slowly removed her hands from her face, a grateful sigh escaping her lips; she laughed, feeling glad that her ordeal was now over. The bike suddenly lurched backwards once again, spinning in a perfect pirouette before landing once again zooming at an even faster speed on Bosco Lane. _"You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"_ She shouted angrily at the driver.

"Take a look behind you," was all he had in reply. She turned and saw the huge crater that now marked the center of the road.

"But why are we going so fast?" she inquired.

"Take a look _in front_ of you." Katara huffed, annoyed at his tone. She had merely asked a question, he didn't have to sound so irritated. The Dai Lee were working on the bridge, their only way out of the Upper Ring; earthbending it so that no normal person would be able to pass. However, the Blue Spirit was no normal person.

"Blue, there is no way we can make it. I know you've tried, but you have to admit that we're done for." She received no response as the machine continued at its top speed. Jet was there, with dozens of Dai Lee agents waiting to capture them.

"Hey! What are you, crazy?" Katara screamed before finding herself airborne for what seemed like the third time that night. They were gliding over the bridge, Jet and his men staring at them in awe as the creature escaped their grasp, dashing into the dark forests that lay between the Upper and Middle rings of Ba Sing Se. The copter then landed, a tall man walking out. He wore a black suit and sunglasses though it was dark. Jet fell at his feet and said, "Mr. Saruman! Forgive me, I didn't mean for—" He was silenced, the man offered him a hand.

"Do not fret, Jet Seishoki, that is okay. Everything will be fine when you awaken."

And he snapped his fingers.

* * *

The bike came to a stop in front of the dorms of Phoenix High. Katara stepped off slowly before giving a respectful bow to the stranger. "Thank you, Blue Spirit, you saved my life back there." He merely shrugged in reply before leaving. She gave a small glance in his direction before letting out a small sigh, "There was something familiar about him, it's as if I have known him my entire life. But that's just silly, isn't it, Mom?" Her hand went up to her neck to feel the carvings of her mother's necklace, the pendant nowhere in sight.

"My mother's necklace! It's gone!"


	11. Arc 3: Master of Hypnosis

**Note: I actually hate this chapter. It creates a large plot hole that causes problems in chapter 15. I all but scrap it in the revision. I actually was on a long writer's block because of this chapter, which is why it feels so rushed and incomplete. I still don't know what exactly I want to do with it in my next draft.**

 **Since this is so short, I'll post another chapter tomorrow.**

* * *

Arc 3: The Shattering Truth of it All  
Chapter 11: Master of Hypnosis

Jet stared pleadingly at the Dai Lee agent that was interrogating him.

"I swear, I had nothing to do with the vandalization of Bosco Lane. I don't even know how I got there!" The agent turned to his partner, who looked at the lie detector test and said, "The kid isn't lying."

The first agent put his hands on the table and asked Jet, "If you didn't do it, then why were you in the Upper Ring last night?"

"I-I don't know!"

* * *

 _~December 19, —~  
Five hours before suspect was found unconscious on the destroyed Bosco Bridge_

A sharp knock at the door halted Jet's train of thought. He sighed and juggled a small water balloon while saying, "You're not part of the elite squadron—" The door opened, and two tall men walked inside. The first one wore a Dai Lee uniform, but did not appear to be an agent, his gaunt face betraying no emotion. The other man had a tall, sturdy build—contrary to his companion's lean frame; his rugged face showed that this man had fought many battles, and Jet could not help but let the water balloon fall to the floor with a splash.

"Good day, Jet Seishoki," the second man said.

Jet, seeing so threat posed by the two men, slipped back into his seat. "And what do I have the pleasure of calling _you_?"

The man chuckled, "My apologies; you are to refer to me as Mr. Saruman. Jet, it has come to my attention that you are also having trouble with a 'blue spirit'?"

"You, as well?" he inquired back, surprised that a businessman would even care for petty heroes.

"Yes, because of that creature I was stripped of all my ranks and banished to the Earth Kingdom," he spat with malice.

The teen's brown eyes widened, "Hey, you're definitely not from the Water Tribes or the Air Nomads; so it's best that you know that I don't take kindly to Fire Nation."

Mr. Saruman reclined even more in his seat as Jet got up in a move for his swords, "True, but believe me when I say that I am most certainly on your side, and very much in need of your assistance."

The other man, who had not spoken the entire time, said, "Jet Seishoki, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."

The confused teen immediately fell under the spell, his pupils enlarging to their entirety, "I am honored to accept his invitation. What does his majesty request of me?"

Mr. Saruman slowly smirked, "You are to find the Keeper and the Guardian and bring them to an abandoned factory not too far from Phoenix High, after you have done so you are to blow this whistle and you would be rid of this Blue Spirit forever. Do you understand?"

"Yes," was his monotonous reply.

"Are you ready to operate?"

"Yes, master."

Just like that, everything was now going according to plan. Nineteen years of manipulating and conniving would soon pay off. Yes, the demon children of Ursa Ryishi and Ozai Tetsuru would pay for what their very existence did to him.

* * *

 _Twenty years earlier~_

 _~Fire Nation Palace Gardens_

"Oh, Prince Ozai, everything is so beautiful here!" Ursa exclaimed, nearly struck dumb by the magnificent fountains. Her companion smiled and led her to a seat beside a statue of a dragon.

"And you can come here whenever you'd like once you're a princess."

She looked up at him and contended, "But it is forbidden for humans..."

"...and dragons to marry, yes I know. But Ursa, believe me when I say I love you with all my heart and soul. (Besides, that 'rule' didn't stop Avatar Roku from marrying your grandmother.) Will you marry me?" He presented to her a hairpiece—one that was to be worn by the Crown Princess.

She stared at the ornament as tears began to well up in her eyes, "Of course I will marry you!" And they kissed before both falling into the water.

Unknown to the couple, a figure loomed in the break watching them with wide eyes. He trembled slightly with his gaze focusing on the girl. A dragon? But were they not mythological creatures? And to mingle with such a monstrous beast (and even marry her!) was not something the prince would do. The man then waved off his paranoia, then again, the prince must have come up with some elaborate plan to steal the throne from his brother.

It seemed like a great cover-up at first, but as the weeks went by, it appeared as though the prince was doing nothing (other than planning for his wedding.)

"Prince Ozai," the young lieutenant addressed his long-time friend.

"Hmm?" the younger prince mumbled, his focus preoccupied towards the statue that stood in the garden. Zhao looked over as well, shuddering as he was reminded that the prince's bride was one of _them._ He couldn't find the reason for his friend's entrancement towards such a creature.

"It has been three months since you announced your engagement to lady Ursa; (and I was wondering) what do you have planned for her and her family?"

"Nothing," was his simple, monotonous answer.

"What?" he stuttered out, losing the chronic composure that he had trained long to master.

"Zhao, we are good friends, right?" The prince appeared unaffected by his friend's sudden loss of social etiquette—a mistake that would have cost him his rank as a lieutenant.

The deputy blinked for a second, why was the prince acting so strangely? "Of course, your highness."

Ozai smiled, his eyes becoming blank and hazy; while attempting to follow his gaze, Zhao nearly ended up falling over himself. (This fatal mistake once again passed unnoticed.) It was obvious that the prince was having some sort of flashback, one that most likely involved Zhao. "Yes, yes... Very good friends..." he mumbled. "We have been through a lot together, and are able to truly say that we trust each other, am I right?"

Inwardly, the young lieutenant beamed, the prince was finally going to tell him about his wonderful plan. "Why, yes," he said, masking his true feelings.

Prince Ozai took a deep breath, (while Zhao held his breath) before asking, "Will you be my best man?"

A vein popped in Zhao's head. "What?!" He exploded. "You really expect me to believe that you have fallen in love with a dragon? How could you have changed so much, my lord?"

"What are you talking about?"

"HER! That monstrous beast you call your fiancée! She must have cast some sort of spell on you! That witch! Don't worry, I'll find some sort of cure to this and everything will be back to the way it—" he was cut off by the prince's golden stare.

"Zhao, stop." He said with a clear, constant voice. "Lady Ursa... I... I love her. I never believed that I would ever feel the same feelings for a person as I do her. And I am going to marry her. I do not know how or under what circumstances did you find out about her family's secret, however you are the last person to know about this."

"Sire... where are you going at?" Zhao found that his mouth grew taut and dry in a very short amount of time.

"You are hereby banished for thoughts of treason against the royal family. Leave now before I alert the Guard of your continued presence."

 _"Honestly, to make a truly long story short, I spent fifteen years of my life in exile wandering the Earth Kingdom in search of information on dragons. I figured that if I wanted to destroy my enemy, I would have to gain all knowledge that I could. Coincidentally, in one of my intellectual endeavors, I discovered an interesting little fact about the dragon princess. It appears that there are, in fact, dragons from each nation, and two from opposing elements are the guardians to the realm of the dragons. A realm full of those... eh,_ _repugnant_ _creatures. Now doesn't that sound interesting? Now, suppose an intelligent being managed to tame these wild beasts and use them to his advantage. Figured it out yet? ... ... Of course I must explain this so that you may be able to comprehend what I wish to do. You see, the dragoness had mysteriously disappeared eight years ago, some information that would have made me quite happy—that is... if she had not left two more dragons in her place. That makes my life oh so much easier. (I am quite serious, for the record.) Children are the easiest to manipulate, you just have to know what's in their best interests."_

Zhao walked towards the window, peering through the Venetian blinds by creating an opening with his first two fingers. He glanced outside, examining his school. The hundreds of children making their way to their first class. Yes, Phoenix High was his school. Though Seishoki had failed to capture the Guardian and the Keeper, there were plenty of opportunities left. He chuckled as he turned over the blue pendant in his hand. This was a genuine Water Tribe betrothal necklace, and by the precise carving he could tell that it was very valuable.

He quickly stuffed it back into the inside pocket of his coat, facing the visitor. Before him stood Jet Seishoki, his little puppet, unknowing to all he was soon to do. "You called, Principal Saruman?"

A crooked smile played on his lips, "Yes, you are aware of Miss Katara Reibu's upcoming yearly sleepover, are you not?"


	12. Arc 3: The Ties That Bind

**Note: This chapter has a lot of exposition, which I'm not very happy with. I also don't like flashbacks like this, so I'm trying to think of another way to convey the flashback. Also, this chapter has an epilogue/interlude that I'll post separately since it breaks the narrative of this chapter.**

* * *

Arc 3: The Shattering Truth of it All  
Chapter 12: The Ties That Bind

"No, no, NO!" Sokka shouted to his younger sister. He had just caught her inviting the weirdo Zuko Ryishi to Gran-Gran's Christmas party. She stared at him with large eyes, as if she was unaware of her serious offence, before rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Sokka, you know Gran-Gran loves meeting new people."

"We're already bringing Aang! Katara, Gran-Gran is old; why do you think we invite one stranger to her house each year? If she met two she could be hospitalized! Look at Ryishi, he's got that big, red thing on his face! A sight like that could even... well, _you know..._ "

Katara looked at Zuko, noting the thin columns of steam emitting from his nostrils. "Sokka, whatever issues you may have with Ryishi, could you please put it aside for one night? It's not like he's going to stay over for the night!"

Ryishi, feeling as if he were invisible, offered a solution of peace to the two siblings. "Miss Reibu, it's quite all right. If inviting me to your grandmother's house would cause such—"

"Ignore him, Sokka is just acting like a little boy; you are still invited, don't worry," the waterbender assured sweetly.

The elder Reibu threw his arms in the air, emphasizing it with a stomp of the foot, "Fine! Katara, you'll see. Neither you nor Ryishi are coming to the party!" He sent an icy glare to Zuko, the firebender somewhat frightened at his gaze once again.

"He's bluffing," she commented after her brother left. Her companion, still shaky from the brother's glare, slowly nodded.

* * *

It was, as it happened, while Zuko was getting ready for the party that his cell phone rang. He thought, _"Katara doesn't_ _have_ _to remind me about the party, so why is she calling,_ "before picking up the device.

"Hello?" he asked, his tone showing an unsure mood. Because of the volume of the person on the other end, he had to quickly retract the phone from his ear to prevent permanent damage. It was only after the person calmed down did he finally understand.

"I can't believe _he left me!_ " Katara fumed. "Of all the _immature_ —"

"Now what does this have to do with me?" Ryishi interrupted. As much as he loved listening to Katara complain—especially with one shoe untied—over the phone was not a good time for a conversation.

There was a brief silence from the girl, immediately followed by a burst of laughter. _"Umm... did I miss something?"_ he asked himself. He had learned from his sister that when a girl laughs for no good reason, it cannot be a good sign.

"Miss Reibu...?"

"Oh, silly me! I must have forgotten to note that you are taking me to my Gran-Gran's house in your car," she ended her sentence with a raise in her tone, a sign that she was still laughing. (On the inside, Zuko supposed.)

Now it was Zuko's turn to laugh; it appeared that Katara had also forgotten that Ryishi doesn't have a car. "I must mention that I don't actually have a—" the line went dead. Ryishi though nonchalantly, _"No matter, she'll find out eventually."_

* * *

"I said to bring your car!" Katara crossed her arms as she saw Ryishi coming up in his motorbike.

He stared at her through the helmet, bright golden eyes on black, "And I said that I don't have one."

"No you didn't!"

"Well, I would have if you didn't hang up on me."

She huffed, "I'm not going on that thing!"

"Have you ever been on a motorcycle before?" She recollected her adventure with the Spirit; the heights, the sounds, all her emotions returning like a waterfall. She remembered how frightened she was and how she secretly vowed to never sit on such a machine as long as she lived. The sensation was not long, but was, however, long enough to be caught by Zuko Ryishi.

"Once!" The slight hesitance before she replied was enough for Ryishi to remember that he had to be oblivious to what happened that day. He remained without a word, causing an awkward silence. Katara was never fond of staying quiet, and could not comprehend how Ryishi could do it practically without effort. The longer this silence seemed to go on, the more uncomfortable she seemed to get. Zuko, on the other hand, was purposely extending it to receive a specific reaction from Reibu. Her feet shifted in a hesitant manner, her gaze scanning every part of her area of vision except for Ryishi. Through further inspection, Zuko could see that she seemed to also be holding her breath, possibly a nervous habit of hers.

Although Zuko was enjoying every second of Katara Reibu's discomfort in the situation, he knew it had to end sometime. "So, are you coming or what?"

It was at this time that Katara's respiratory system restarted. "Uh..."

* * *

The elder Reibu lay on the couch in his grandmother's house, enjoying a warm oatmeal cookie. His two guests sat opposite from him, both concerned about Katara's location.

"What did you do to Katara?" Toph asked frankly (with a hint of suspicion), her voice monotone, her eyes gazing right through him.

Sokka sat up, looking as innocent as possible (ignorant of the fact that Toph Bei Fong was blind); he looked around the room, as if to make sure that she was talking to him. "Toph, Toph, Toph, _Toph_. Do you truly believe that I did something to my  only sister?"

Toph's expression remained unchanged (much to Sokka's dismay), "I believe that you are capable of _many_ things."

"So..." Aang cut in, sensing the growing tension. "How long have you known your Gran-Gran?" The other two immediately turned to him, an "Are you serious?" expression on their faces. The boy then blushed out of embarrassment, although he did not know what to be embarrassed about. It was a mere question, after all.

The doorbell rang, startling the people inside the house. Sokka called out, "Don't worry, I'll get it!"

As he got up, Toph mumbled to herself, low enough that Aang could hear, "I was wondering when she'd show up."

"Who?" the vegetarian asked.

A smug grin made its way to the earthbender's face, "You'll see."

Aang cocked his head in puzzlement; what exactly would he see? In no more than a second later, a wave of water came crashing into the living room.

"You _jerk_!" She fumed, calling the water back to her hands for another blow.

Her brother stumbled back, frightened of his younger sister, "How did you possibly get here?"

Katara stared at her brother for a good long moment, "Since you asked, dear brother, I have something you don't: a Ryishi!"

"Katara! You've arrived! I knew that when Sokka told me you chose not to come, there was something amiss," the elderly woman pulled her granddaughter in a tight embrace. She then noticed the tall, dark-haired teen enter the house, "And who is your little friend...?" Her sentence trailed off, realization setting in.

"Why! You've grown to look just like your father!"

Everyone's gaze (save for Toph's) turned to Zuko. He himself was surprised; his legs grew weak, his throat suddenly dries. He tried to moisten his mouth before speaking, yet his voice still came out hoarse, "H-how do you know my father?"

The elderly woman had a faraway look in her eyes, the features on her face growing solemn. "My daughter, Kya, was a close friend of your mother."

Anger burned up inside Sokka. His mother was betrayed by a Fire Nation woman, and Zuko Ryishi was her son? No! He would not stand for this! He was already ready to go and say something, however Aang held him back.

"So does this make Ryishi and I siblings or something?" Sokka did not even have to rotate his head to know who it was. He already knew that his sister was one of the most confusing persons in the world. However, it was these sudden bursts of stupidity that made Sokka wonder if he really _was_ adopted. Nah, he resembled his father enough to them to be related.

Toph slapped her forehead in frustration. Why did Katara decide to become a brainless princess now?

Kanna, however, appeared completely unaware of her granddaughter's outburst. "Now, you may be wondering why did a Fire Nation girl become friends with a girl from the Water Tribes? It was a strange set of circumstances that led to their meeting, and I'm still a bit fuzzy on how it all came to be. Your mother _[to Sokka and Katara]_ was about six years old at the time. (Oh how I remember this day clearly.) We were on vacation somewhere near Kyoshi Island and I remember she was playing out it the yard. I didn't worry much because there weren't any dangerous creatures in that part of the world, so you can imagine my face when I saw her covered in dirt and grime telling me: 'Mommy, a dragon fell into the yard!'"

 _~Flashback~_

 _Kanna_

Inwardly I smiled. Of course I believed that this was all some sort of game she was playing. Honestly, the biggest surprise I had was the little Fire Nation girl lying in the grass. She appeared to be a bit older than Kya, she had beautiful raven hair (although some sticks and leaves stuck to it). She was apparently clutching her arm in pain. The poor thing. I immediately went to tending to the injury. She had intentionally moved her arm away in hesitation, glaring slightly at me with piercing golden eyes. The child was obviously from the Fire Nation. However, I was not one to be easily frightened by a mere child. I politely stared back at her until she gave up and let me tend to her. I believe that her surrender was due to the influence of little Kya, who had said to her happily, "Don't worry, my mommy will make your arm all better."

As I was placing some herbs to clean the bruise, my curiosity got the better of me. "So," I started very frankly. "How did you manage to get all the way here?"

It was obvious that the question caught the girl by surprise, "Um... well..."

"Don't you remember?" Kya cut in. She appeared to be quite puzzled by this point. "You were flying! There you were in the sky and you fell! You fell into the yard! I saw you!"

I gently turned my daughter towards me and spoke to her softly, "Little girls cannot fly, Kya. It is all in your very big imagination."

Her lower lip stuck out, her small hands rolling into fists, "But mommy, she's not a little girl; she's a little dragon!"

I heard a loud shushing noise from the girl, and I promptly turned back to her. She quickly noticed and gave me a toothy grin, with a nervous chuckle behind it. "Obviously," she began a-matter-of-factly, "she is hopelessly confused. I fell right out of that tree over there."

"And why were you up there in the first place?" I inquired.

"Well, I, uh... I suppose I was looking for someone."

"You _suppose_ that you were looking for someone?"

"That's right."

"Interesting. And you don't _suppose_ that knocking was a good idea? Hmm?"

"Well, about that... There is a logical explanation for that bit."

"Of course there is!" my eccentric daughter cut in. "Everybody knows that dragons are too big for the front door! They come through the chimney!"

"Or is it Santa Claus?" she mused sometime later.

"You have a very interesting daughter, Miss," the girl said with a hint of sarcasm in her tone. She looked to the side slightly, pressing her lips together before releasing a small sigh.

"Hey!" Kya suddenly exclaimed. "You called me the 's' word! That wasn't nice!"

The girl blinked, and said to herself, "I didn't say that out loud, did I?"

"You did!" She crossed her arms and pouted.

"What did you just call me?!" The girl opened her mouth in shock!

"I didn't call you anything!" She spat angrily. The girl stood up (completely against my wishes) and turned to me. "How can you allow your daughter to know such language?"

By this time you must understand that I was completely baffled. I hadn't heard a thing from the both of them. I voiced my thoughts and this was the reaction from the little girl, "If you didn't hear anything... Then that means... " Her eyes opened in realization. She turned to my daughter and quickly gave a small bow of respect. "My apologies. I was not aware that you are the one I have been looking for."

"Huh?" My daughter and I simultaneously asked.

She turned to me saying, "Well, I suppose that it's all good and well to tell you as well, seeing as you are her mother. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ursa Ryishi; the current Guardian of the Snow or _Yuki no shugo-sha_. It is truly an honor to finally meet the Keeper. Your daughter was not crazy when she called me a dragon. I was actually flying over the plain when I felt drawn to this place. I hid in the tree to get a better look when I lost my footing and fell."

All this time, little Kya was growing in excitement, "You see, I told you, mommy. I told you she was a dragon!"

"Kya, there are no such things are dragons." I loudly whispered to her.

"On the contrary, miss, I am, in fact, a remarkable specimen of the race your daughter speaks of. I can prove it to you, but..." Ursa looked around uneasily. "Would it be possible for me to enter your house? There are many in this world who would love to have a dragon hide."

 _~Flashback End~_

* * *

"So," Sokka interrupted. "Was she really a dragon or was she just pulling on your strings?"

Kanna merely stared sternly at her grandson before saying, "Just let me finish the story."

* * *

 _~Flashback~_

 _Kanna_

As it turned out to be, the girl really was a dragon. As I think back now, I didn't seem to be quite surprised by the fact; I had always known that something strange would happen because of Kya. "Mommy, I was right! Now, I'll be the only girl in the whole tribe who is friends with a real dragon!"

Ursa immediately became uneasy, "Look, you can't tell anyone about me! No one! You see, you and I. We have a special connection to each other. Don't you see? We were able to hear each other's thoughts. You are a little too young to understand now, but someday, I'll explain everything."

"You sound like you're leaving," I pointed out. She nodded, but realized Kya's solemn expression. "Don't worry," she assured. "I'll come back."

 _~Flashback End~_

* * *

"She did come back and visit—every year, as a matter of fact. No matter where we seemed to be at the time, that girl would always find us. Eventually her visits became a lot more frequent as she and Kya grew closer together."

"And when she had Mom's complete trust, she turned around and betrayed her," Sokka finished. Zuko began feel anger running through him, "She would never do that!"

Sokka rolled his eyes, "And how would _you_ know?"

"You don't know her!"

The blue-eyed boy grinned smugly, "And what about you? Didn't she abandon you ten years ago? You don't know what kind of person she truly was."

The firebender couldn't hold in his rage any longer. Sokka Reibu had gone too far, and would pay for what he said. Zuko pulled his hand back, ready to throw it into the boy's face, however stopped himself before he could do so. Only Toph had noticed this act of self-control and said to herself, _"Wow, Sparky, that took a lot, didn't it?"_ Tears began to form in his golden eyes, and he simply rushed out of the house.

Katara tried to follow him, but as she watched the motorcycle and heard the fading motor ring, she knew she was too late. "Sokka!" She shouted, raising her hand to smack him. Instead, she scoffed and said, "You know what? You're not even worth it." Katara left the room, going upstairs to her bedroom. They could hear her heavy steps as she climbed.

Aang looked up at Sokka, "Sokka, I know you don't like Zuko very much, but you went too far." Toph merely nodded; although she had wanted Zuko to punch Sokka in the face, she knew why he didn't. It would cause the tension between him and the Reibu family to strain even more.

Kanna took her grandson firmly by the shoulder and led him to the kitchen. "Sokka, you had no right to say what you did."

"I believe I had all the right, Gran-Gran, how could you let that woman's son into your own house when she took away your daughter!"

She placed a hand to her forehead, taking a step back, "It-it's too soon... I can't tell you now."

Katara walked in, her hand lightly on the door frame, "Tell him what?"

* * *

Aang and Toph were left alone in the den. They didn't speak a word to each other, which unsettled Aang. When he looked at Toph, it was very difficult for him to know how she was feeling. What she was thinking. She appeared as completely blank to the outside world, perhaps because of her blindness she was unable to react or show emotion to certain things that required sight. The silence did not appeal to him, and he desperately wished to see Katara—she looked very upset and he wanted to try and console her. "If his mom was a dragon, doesn't that make Ryishi a half-dragon?" the blind girl finally spoke. Aang blinked, the question coming a bit out of the blue. He though for a moment. It was just a story, right? Something Gran-Gran made up. It couldn't possibly be real. But there was one thing that got him thinking. Toph had told him that she could tell if a person was lying or not. If she knew that the story was a lie, why would she ask him that?

Maybe Toph knew something that he didn't. Maybe the story was true.

If so, then the possibility of Zuko being a dragon (or at least a half dragon) was extremely high. Shortly after, a small smile made its way to the girl's face. Aang didn't like that smile very much. In fact—he was a bit frightened. She was thinking something. Something that had to do with Zuko Ryishi.

* * *

Kanna felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't hide this from her grandchildren any longer. They had to know. "It was your mother's choice.

"After the Avatar, it is the duty of the Keepers and the Guardians to keep the balance of the world. The original thought was that the Avatar cycle was broken when the Air Avatar never appeared; however, he had been put into an eternal sleep. A state of suspended animation. He could not be freed without someone taking his place. Ursa begged Kya not to do it, but..."

"No," Sokka said just above a whisper.

Kanna continued, "It was for the sake of the world."

It was then Sokka realized how stupid he had been for talking out of turn like that. He had to swallow his pride. He would have to admit that he was wrong.

"So what about Ursa?" asked Katara. "What happened to her?"

"That, my dear, I do not know. But with the both of them gone. There is the need for a new Keeper and Guardian. When they choose to accept their destiny, I will always be here to assist them in any way I can." Katara knew who she was referring to. Because of Sokka, Zuko had left prematurely. She hoped dearly that wherever he was, he was pulling himself together.

* * *

Iroh heard a knock at his door. Strange. It was almost 10:00. Who would come and visit so late? He lowered the flame of the tea he was brewing and slowly opened his door, the cold winter air streaming into the room.

"Hey, uncle. I'm back."


	13. Arc 3: Interlude

**Note: This doesn't really fit with the rest of the chapter, so I'm setting it as a separate "bonus" part. Don't ask me why there's Christmas in the Avatar world, this is an AU.**

* * *

Arc 3: The Shattering Truth of it All  
Chapter 12.9: The Ties That Bind (Epilogue)

It was midnight. The signal of the New Year. Iroh was overjoyed at Zuko's return, and was now celebrating the turn of the year with him. There was a light knock at the door, followed by singing: "We wish you a merry Christmas! We wish you a merry Christmas! We wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

Zuko never thought that such a good-natured song could possibly bring evil. He opened the door to bid the caroler a happy new year when...

"Happy New Year, Zuzu."

In a flash, Zuko hid himself and his uncle inside a closet. "Uncle," he loudly whispered. "There is a _demon_ outside!"

Iroh went to the door, despite his nephew's protests. He looked out the window to see who it was. "Zuko!" he exclaimed. "Your father never told me you had a twin!"

"Twin?" Zuko scoffed. "That thing is not my twin. It's just an Azula."

Iroh proceeded to open the door when his nephew stopped him, "Unless you want to endure severe suffering, you don't want to open that door!"

"But Zuko," he pleaded. "You would leave her out in the cold?"

Zuko snorted, but before he realized it... A raven-haired girl was in the room. She wore a designer coat, adjusting the wool hood now that she was indoors. "I am very much obliged at your chivalry, Uncle. At least some people haven't turned from their noble upbringing." Her gaze fell towards her brother, who rolled his eyes.

"Why, thank you, Azula. Although I believe that we haven't met before," the tea shop owner said warily.

The princess cocked her head to the side, removing the coat that had shielded her from the cold. Zuko noted that the top of her hair had turned red since the last time he saw her. "You don't recall?" she inquired.

Zuko cut in nonchalantly, "She was the girl who had kicked you in the leg and called you 'Uncle Fatso'."

Iroh sighed, remembering the incident. His younger brother had assured him that the girl was a visiting member of Ursa's family. (Another lie casually told.) Zuko had hoped that the incident would cause his uncle to send her away, but to his dismay, Iroh welcomed her into the house with open arms.

Another cup of green tea was offered to Azula; as she was still getting used to the Northern Earth Kingdom weather, she gladly accepted. Iroh left to the kitchen to prepare the tea, leaving the two siblings alone.

"What has brought this sudden visit, Azula? Has Father finally gotten tired of you as well?" Zuko smugly asked.

She ignored her little comment and replied, "By now you have realized my slight change in appearance, right?" she referred to her hair. As she said that, Zuko already figured out the story. It was the exact same thing four years ago. The top of his head had mysteriously turned blue overnight, unable to revert with any amount of washes or dyeing. In order to prevent any unwanted questions from being asked, he was sent to live with his uncle in Ba Sing Se. And that wasn't the end of it. Soon after, he had grown a large appetite—especially for meat. And a few weeks ago... he found out that he was a dragon! It wouldn't surprise him if his father had known what was happening the entire time, but if his mother was a dragon, why didn't she tell him or his sister? Why did such a large issue escape his childhood. His mother had always told him that he was special, but a dragon?! And this whole history with the Reibu family. Katara's grandmother never got to explain what the Keeper and the Guardian were. He already knew that he was the Guardian—there was no doubt of it, but who was the Keeper? Sokka or Katara? He inwardly scoffed at himself. He wasn't even sure whether or not he even wanted to be the Guardian. Why should he care who the Keeper was? He had enough trouble on his hands with Jet and his double life as the Blue Spirit. If he even wanted to call it a double life. It only consisted of saving Katara and a baby from Jet, respectively.

"Zuzu!" Azula snapped. "You're the one who asked me a question. At least have the courtesy to _appear_ to pay me some attention."

"Sorry, 'Zula, I was merely thinking of your face when you get to see snow," Zuko remarked.

His sister appeared to be a bit frightened, although her tone of voice said otherwise, "You're trying to scare me, aren't you! Always telling me of places where frozen water falls, burying entire towns under it. You called it the White Death, and claimed that foreigners called it snow. You managed to scare Mai and Ty Lee, but I am far too smart to fall for such childish stories!"

Iroh had heard the last bit of the conversation and as he handed Azula her cup, said, "You have never seen snow, Azula? Why it's your lucky day! The weather forecaster said that it would snow tomorrow."

Azula chocked on her tea. "You mean it's real?" Zuko resisted laughing at her face. Perhaps Azula's stay wouldn't be as bad as he thought it would be.


	14. Arc 3: Re: Welcome to the Freak Show

**Note: According to my original author's notes, I was still rewriting this fanfiction up until this chapter, when I got bored and decided to stop. Unfortunately, this means that the next two chapters were previously filled with HTML code...  
**

* * *

Arc 3: The Shattering Truth of it All  
Chapter 13: Welcome to the Freak Show [Reprise]

Zuko's morning started with a scream. Sounds like Azula got a look outside. "Zuko! It's everywhere! We have to call Father so he could deploy the army to face the White Death!"

Zuko believed that he should tell Azula the truth before someone got hurt (most importantly: herself.) "Zula," he started. "You do realize that I was lying to you, don't you?"

She blinked, a light blush creeping up her cheeks. She pushed a stray strand of her hair back into place, a habit of hers. Zuko was not quite sure of how she felt when she did it, or if it was even a habit at all. After she had composed herself from her fanatic rambling, she said, "Well, of course I was aware of that the entire time. I was merely playing along with your little game to give you your desired satisfaction."

 _"Right,"_ thought Zuko sarcastically.

"Now enough of that," she began once again. "I just found a sweet deal on a limo. I am making an entrance to Phoenix High in S-T-Y-L-E! Ba Sing Se, say 'Hello' to Azula Ryishi!"

 _"Where did she get enough money to rent a limousine?"_ thought Zuko. _"Perhaps Father left her with enough cash to survive the winter."_ When he asked Azula this question, she just laughed. That did not make him feel any better. "Oh, brother, you can be quite the comedian when you wish to be. Of course Azula Tetsuru is the richest teen in the world, but Azula _Ryishi_ is without a penny to her adopted name."

Zuko looked outside the window of the moving car, forgetting for the moment about his concern on where Azula got the money. He knew that despite how much his uncle loved having Azula around, he would never give her that much money. The only other way she could have gotten it was from... No! For the past two years he had been saving up his tips to install a hot tub in his bungalow. She couldn't possibly have found it. (He would have to check after school.)

* * *

The students of Phoenix High got a surprise when a second limo (Toph's being the regular) pulled up to the school. Zuko Ryishi stepped out, adjusting his top hat. He appeared to them solemn, his golden eyes staring blankly at the crowd that had formed. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you a creature so unbelievably vile. I should warn those with a weak constitution—actually I should warn all of you to leave now if you know what's good for you. She will steal your children in the dark of night. ... Don't you dare look at me as if you don't know good and well that you are kids."

Behind him, the limousine opened and a gloved hand pulled Zuko back into the car.

"Hey, Toph," Aang was walking to the school building along with Toph and Katara. "It looks like we have another wealthy kid at the school now. Are you worried?"

Toph waved him off. Pfft. A threat? Oh please. "It's just some wannabe who wants people to actually think that they have money."

Ty Lee and Mai approached President Katara about the strange car. "We didn't receive a notification about a new student coming, which is strange on its own, but I've heard from a couple of students that Zuko was inside," the generally conserved girl seemed slightly worried about something. _"Who would possibly convince Zuko to get into a limo? The only person with that much control over him is..."_ Mai's train of thought was cut short when a loud BOOM was heard from the limo.

All eyes were focused on the flashes of blue and orange that could be seen from outside. A fume of smoke began flowing out of the sunroof. "Firebenders," Aang muttered.

The side door opened, releasing more of the dark fumes. A girl, about sixteen, stepped out. Stared and murmurs were common among those who had stopped to see what was happening. She wore the school uniform, so you would think that there was nothing to stare at. However, the stares were for what she wore on her head. A top hat.

Behind her, exited Zuko. The sight was very strange indeed as the elder was covered in soot, and was coughing because of it while his counterpart had not one stain on her persona. She referred to herself as Azula Ryishi, the sister of Zuko Ryishi. Azula was immediately greeted by Vice-President Ty Lee Taiso. The president and treasurer followed slowly behind. Katara was a bit puzzled as she looked at them curiously. "So you are both Ryishi?"

Azula cocked her head to the side, eyeing her with amber eyes, before nodding a bit hesitantly. The president appeared to have a realization, "Well, that's wonderful!" she embraced Azula tightly. "Now I have two Ryishis working for me. I must begin making a schedule for your jobs."

Work? Azula did not come to school to work for some peasant. She looked over her shoulder towards her brother mouthing, "Do you know this person?" [Referring to Katara.] He pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

His sister nodded and looked at the girl hugging her with disgust. She mouthed back to Zuko, "Can I hit her?"

He shrugged in response, in a 'Sure, go knock yourself out' way. Her lips formed a crooked smile. She raised a thin hand, an electric blue flame sparking in her hand. Ty Lee noticed and nervously said to Katara, "Satojo, she needs a proper tour of the school before she can serve as your lackey."

Katara pulled away, causing both Zuko and Azula to sigh. "That's right," she said in realization. "Toph!" she called to her blind friend. "Would you be so kind as to show Miss Ryishi around the school?"

Toph shrugged as she came over. "Don't tell me these things as if I actually have a choice."

She walked to Azula, extending her hand to shake, "Nice to meet you, Lady Sparks (nickname temporary.) The name's Toph. Toph Bei Fong."

The new student noted the way the fourteen-year-old spoke. She spoke in a laid back fashion that excluded making any eye contact. She did not appear to be nervous or with difficulty in speaking to people. In fact, she seemed to be the complete opposite of that. Her tone had shown to Azula that she may have had years in vocal training of proper speech (or that also could have come across as arrogance.) She also sounded like the entire situation was in her hands. The Fire Nation princess did not like being played with— _she_ was the one who controlled others. This little girl would learn to not mess with Azula Tetsuru.

"Are you able to see me?" inquired Azula. Why ask a blind girl to show someone around?

Toph stared blankly through Azula's torso before saying, "If you mean see your face, then no; you are too tall for me to be able to see you."

Azula grew even more angry as Toph said that. Was she continuing to toy with her? "She's blind, but she can still 'see' where you are," Aang said, shying away when Azula turned to him.

"I can sense the vibrations in the ground. And I was only messing with you back there; you didn't have to blow up like that," Toph said apologetically.

"Good! Now you two are good and acquainted; have a nice day!" the president waved to them before leaving—Zuko in tow.

"Ah, so you're Sparky's little sis, as I've heard?" Azula nodded and Toph grinned as she took note of that. She nudged Aang's side and repeated, "She's Zuko's sister."

The boy cocked his head, not understanding. After a brief moment's thought, he said, "Oh! Then that means..." The earthbender stepped on his foot. Azula raised an eyebrow. What were these two hiding?

"Is this person supposed to be here?" The firebender referred to Aang.

"I-I'm her friend!" stuttered Aang in defense.

Azula did not see why he got so upset. You could never be too sure about a person's affiliations. She waited for a conformation from Toph (who replied, "Eh, he's more of a sidekick.")

"Since President Katara probably bailed before she could properly show him around the school, Aang is tagging along as well," Toph explained to Azula.

* * *

As Aang had discovered, Katara had really left out a large portion of the building _s_. He had no idea that the school had an indoor swimming complex—much less an entire room dedicated to various rocks found in the Earth Kingdom.

"Wow! This school even has an all-day echo room!" exclaimed Aang. Toph and Azula immediately covered their ears as his echo rang throughout the room.

"That is the reason why you won't find too many students in here," Toph commented.

Further into the tour, a bored Azula asked Toph, "Is this tour going to involve anything _interesting_?"

"Just you wait, Princess. We're almost to the good part," she winked in Aang's direction.

The firebender had not yet finished her sigh before she found herself encased in earth.

* * *

Zuko immediately went alert, the sounds of the history lesson on the first earthbenders fading away, _"I have a feeling that Azula is in trouble."_ After a moment's pause, he thought, _"Little Miss Perfect_ _never_ _gets herself into trouble."_

* * *

"What is the meaning of this? I demand to be released this very moment!" Azula insisted.

Toph stood in front of the blindfolded girl, admiring her accomplishment and nodded in approval. Capturing Azula had gone much smoother than how she had originally thought. (Actually, she had planned to kidnap Zuko, but with the arrival of Azula...) Aang, however, was still a bit wary about this whole kidnapping plan. Not only did they forcefully capture someone, but they were also skipping classes.

According to Toph, though, if everything went well, they would be far too wealthy to attend school. They had managed to sneak Azula inside the Bei Fong estate. ("Managed" being the key word here. Had they been caught, Toph would be in unspeakable trouble with her parents.)

"Think of it this way, sister of Zuko, although people will constantly stare at you through glass walls and marvel at a specimen of your _peculiar_ species," her sentence trailed off as she tried to find a way to lightly explain it to the firebender, "you would be treated like royalty—being fed cuisine of the finest kind (to suit your *ahem* _grotesque_ appetite.)"

She lost Azula at the phrase "sister of Zuko". How did her relationship to Zuko have to do with anything? She tried firebending herself free, however found that her bonds were made of steel. She snorted, obviously these kids knew exactly what they were doing. (If only she knew...) Then it hit her, from the way their voices seemed to echo off the walls, Azula deducted that the room they were in was fairly large and quite empty. This kidnapping plan had likely been in the works for a good couple of weeks for them to be able to have access to such a large room. (And a large room like this was even more likely to have a sprinkler system installed.) All she had to do now was to distract the two until she could execute her plan.

"So," she began, "you are friends of my brother?"

"To a certain extent, yes. I usually hang around Iroh, and since Sparky lives there as well... I guess you can call us friends," Toph answered. She did not appear to be on bad terms with Zuko, so what were this girl's motives? Azula wanted answers, and Azula always gets what she wants.

"I'm going to go and keep watch. Make sure that she doesn't try anything funny, got it?" Toph instructed as she earthbended a tunnel and jumped in. Azula could not help but smirk at the opening.

"Mr. Gyago," she called. Aang stuttered.

"That is your name, right? Aang Gyago, first-year student. A vegetarian and an airbender. Arrived a couple of weeks after school began, and is known around the campus as the 'New Kid', am I right?" He was appalled. How could she possibly know his lat name without ever meeting before. He dumbly nodded.

"You do realize that I cannot perceive any movement from you due to this blindfold," she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Duh! Aang blushed at his stupidity. "Yes, that is my name. Now what do you want?" he tried his best to sound as stern and in-control as his friend, but his voice did not quite reach the level of toughness that he wanted.

"Answers. I want to know how a couple of first-years like you and Miss Bei Fong found out who I am."

"Your ties to Katara's family showed us."

"Who?"

"The girl who hugged you."

"Ah, her... Now what was it about her?"

"It's a bit hard to explain. First her grandmother told us a story, and then Toph came up with the plan."

"What was the story about?" Azula tried to sound interested in what he was saying as she blew smoke from her nostrils—an attempt to set off the sprinkler system.

"Yours and Zuko's mom." Now she was interested.

"Mother...?" Azula's last memory of her mother was when she was six years old. She never had a big place in her daughter's heart, as Zuko was her favorite child. Because of this, Azula never thought much about her mother. (Or truly cared, for that matter...) However the mere mention about the woman had caught her severely off-guard.

"Surprised? Well, we know all about your little secret." Azula found herself in an uncomfortable position. Were they aware of her and her brother's status as the Royal Children? Was this now a hostage situation?

"W-what secret? I have no idea what you are talking about." She faltered in her voice.

"Don't play dumb with me. That you and Zuko are—" Aang was cut off as Toph was carried inside by Zuko.

"Toph! I thought we weren't going to capture Zuko!" exclaimed Aang in distress.

"Does it look like I captured Sparky?" Toph inquired dryly. This was very true. The most probable scenario would be that Toph had been captured by Zuko himself.

"Now, would you mind telling me why is my sister playing hostage with you?" Asked the brother, Toph still slung over his shoulder.

"If you think I'm going to tell you..." began Toph.

Zuko cut her off, "Excuse me, but I believe I was speaking to Aang."

Azula squirmed in her seat, waiting to see what the freshman would say. His throat ran dry. Toph was expecting him to come up with a lie, however, that drew a line that was against his nature. The eldest teen waited patiently for the reply. Everyone was watching him, Aang realized. He also realized that he did not enjoy working under pressure at all. The growing tension wished to suffocate him (at least, in his mind.)

The passing seconds were soon becoming minutes of unbroken silence. The airbender found that he could no longer speak (as a result of his constricted airways) and made a loud gasping sound. The golden-brown eyes of the Firebenders widened in surprise. This was all too much for Aang to bear. He wanted to disappear; be taken off the face of the world forever. He rocked dizzily; he slumped, before finally collapsing in a theatrical fashion.

"...Aang?" there was a hint of worry in her voice. There was no answer. She addressed Zuko, "What did you do to him?!" He let her down on the dirt floor, before going to work undoing Azula's bonds. He gave Aang no more than a brief glance, rolling his eyes when Toph discovered that he was only asleep. The blindfold was the last to be removed. On the inside, Azula rejoiced at her rescue, but a sudden show of affection towards her brother would wary him of her state of mind. So instead, she spat, "It took you long enough."

He led her by the hand, "Time to go home, 'Zuko." She nodded and trailed a bit behind him. She was behind enough to hear the blind girl say, "Until next time..." Azula would have to be prepared for this 'next time'. She had never said it to herself, but she was growing out of practice and needed training.

"By the way," began her brother after they had exited the tunnels. "Where did you find the money to rent a limousine?"

* * *

Night had fallen. Light flurries were gently descending from the sky. It was the ideal time for the deal they were about to make. Toph and Aang each wore dark, hooded capes that fell to their ankles. They moved with the stealth of a ninja and with the swiftness of an eel-hound. They each sneaked out of their living quarters without a sound. Aang showing caution towards the person Toph wanted to see. Neither of them spoke a word, feeling that _he_ would be alerted of their arrival and hide before they reached him.

They ran for what seemed to be an hour for Aang (he had no knowledge of the time, since he had forgotten to bring a watch) and was tempted to ask Toph whether or not they were close. He found his question answered when Toph held him by the arm.

"I don't see anything," he muttered. Toph pointed his view upwards. Even before his head had reached the correct tilt, he gasped in complete awe. As he would later try to explain this place to Sokka he found that it was close to impossible to even attempt to. Above them was a network system of tree-houses set high in the trees. The wooden structures connected to each other by vine or rope bridges. It appeared to be deserted, though Aang had sensed that it was full of people. Toph began making her way through the brush that lay underneath the canopy of the "colony", as Aang began to call it.

As they made their way through the dark, Aang could not help but feel frightened. He envied Toph's ability to sense what was around her, despite it being pitch black. The birds' callings did not help with his attempt at bravery either. He did not notice when his friend had paused, and he ended up nearly falling over her small form. He was dismissed by her without a word. A large tree (large would be an understatement, for the base of the tree was about the same width as the length of a sixteen-wheeler) seemed to be at the center of the colony.

It was a brief moment afterwards when Aang realized that Toph was no longer right in front of him. She stood at the tree and made a low call (much similar to the ones he had been hearing, Aang noted.) It was answered with a companion one. He was unable to tell where the answer had come from and was afraid of an ambush, as a result, he automatically found himself with his hands on the shoulders of his friend, using her as a shield. The unknown whistler continued to exchange a variety of calls with Toph until... "From which squad did you say you were from again?" it was difficult for Aang to distinguish the voice as either male or female. It was vaguely familiar, though, and he suspected that it belonged to a schoolmate of his.

Aang could feel Toph tense at the question, "I _didn't_ say. I'm a new recruit who has yet to be assigned to a team. Our meeting was scheduled for tonight." Aang could still feel her uneasiness as she spoke. Her muscles were stiff as they silently waited for the reply. As his normally controlled friend stood there as stiff as a statue, you can only imagine how poor Aang felt. He believed that even his breathing was loud enough to blow their cover. The silence dragged on, and the airbender's face began to turn blue. He was finally able to breathe peacefully when a lone rope fell from the top of the tree.

Toph inwardly smirked. This was too easy. She explained to Aang that she needed him to maneuver his way through the trees and keep a watch on her back. "I cannot sense vibrations from wood very well, so I need you to back me up in case things don't go very well."

"I don't remember scheduling an appointment," Toph pressed her ear into the door, straining to hear the conversation going on the other side. Although she had an acute sense of hearing, the voice tended to speak at a low volume. She heard a male sigh, "Do you have any idea who she is?"

"She's a first year at Phoenix High. Toph Bei Fong," a female voice answered. A girl known only as Smellerbee: her code name. All members of this group had to shed their birth name and be given a new one by their leader Jet. Toph wondered if Seishoki still held a grudge against her. The pause before he spoke confirmed her suspicions. "Let us see what she wants."

Toph returned to her previous position leaning on the wall before Smellerbee led her to see Jet.

"Why take the risk? The mighty Toph Bei Fong leaving herself as helpless as a newborn in the hands of her foes. At least you could have taken a friend with you. It is very unlike you to do something like this," Seishoki crossed his legs, watching her intently.

" _(How poetic...?)_ You're right, Jet. I would not normally do that. Which is exactly why I didn't," she said plainly. Jet raised an eyebrow. "You remember Aang," Toph continued, "don't you? Well, as a matter of fact, he's standing above us listening to our conversation right now."

Smellerbee stuttered, "I swear, Jet. I thought she was alone." His eyes narrowed at her before visibly calming.

He returned to Toph, "What's your deal? I know that you have not forgotten about my rivalry with Ryishi."

"Who said anything about Ryishi? This is between you and me. You see, I have a proposition for you. I know you are after Katara." He opened his mouth to deny it, but Toph continued. " I can help you; if only you do a favor for me."

He sat in silence, taking in every word. He smiled, "You would sell out your friend? And for what...?"

She stood in front of him, grinning smugly. He just didn't get it, did he? "Jet, I have found my future. The thought of finally escaping this giant cage is ranked higher than all of my relationships."

He chuckled, "I see we have much more in common than I had thought. I am convinced. You have yourself a deal."

From above, Aang watched with a solemn expression. Where did it all go wrong? He was losing a friend.


	15. Arc 3: Into Enemy Lines

**Note: I'm crying because there are HTML codes everywhere, and I almost forgot that I had three more parts to this chapter in another word document.  
**

 **Also, another reminder that this was written six years ago. Any "references" to current memes are coincidental. Also, since this chapter is so long, I'll post the next one in three days instead of two.**

* * *

Arc 3: The Shattering Truth of it All  
Chapter 14: Into Enemy Lines

Sokka had been blindly following his eccentric sister store after store. She was preparing for her annual slumber party. This year was going to be the best one yet. They had spent their morning writing out the invitations to pass out at school the next day. Katara made one especially for Zuko's sister Azula, but Sokka had to show her that placing 'To Ryishi' on the invite was too vague.

"How many Ryishis go to the school anyways?" she inquired, wanting him to prove his point.

He answered, "Two."

She asked another question, "And out of that, how many are girls?"

"One."

"And since this is a girls-only sleepover, I believe that there should be no confusion." Katara appeared to be very confident in her deduction.

Back to Sokka's current predicament: Katara's excessive shopping had left him near to collapsing. She was depriving him of his three basic necessities: meat, sleep, and most importantly, meat. She knew him very well and understood how he was feeling, yet she could not afford for him to return home. Their dad would never allow her to shop alone, and it was Ryishi's off-day.

She was, however, able to let him take a short break in the food court. "I was feeling a bit hungry myself," she said with a sigh. In the center of the food court area was a jewelry vendor. Katara's hand unconsciously went up to her bare neck. On the night the Spirit saved her, she had lost her grandmother's necklace. It was to become a family heirloom, to be passed down from mother to daughter until the end of time. Now unable to happen because of her. She and Sokka created a look-alike to throw Gran-Gran off at the time of the party, but Katara knew that it was wrong to try to trick her. She would have to either find the necklace or admit what had happened.

While his sister was deep in thought, Sokka was busy purchasing a bucket of seal jerky from 'Tribal Favorites'. It was during the delicate interchange from cashier to customer, when the life-saving substance was to be given to him, that _SWOOP!_ Out from nowhere a bird of some kind had nearly knocked Sokka's head clear off. He took a couple staggering steps backwards in an attempt at recollecting himself before realizing in pure horror that his jerky was gone! His gaze immediately lowered to the grimy tile floor, hoping that he had merely dropped it. But alas! It was nowhere to be seen. He then realized that his worst fear had come true. He turned to where he had guessed was where the bird-like creature retreated to. He spotted it in little time; after further observation, he noticed that it appeared to be a lemur, rather than a bird. _"Did lemurs fly?"_ he thought.

The lemur was perched on a steel beam, nibbling on the jerky like a mousefly. Sokka watched in disgust; he didn't let those type of things go without punish. That lemur was going to PAY! "You hear that? I'll hunt you down and make you pay for what you did to me. Or my name isn't Sokka Reibu!"

* * *

"Here's one for you," A smile was on her face as Katara handed out the invitations to those in her homeroom.

As each girl received her ticket into the famed social event of the year, she held it protectively as if it were a fragile crown. Azula rolled her eyes. Were these girls truly so uncivilized? You would have thought that they were going to meet the Avatar. She arranged her books neatly inside her scarlet messenger bag and slung it over her shoulder. The day was finally over. There was no school the next day, so Azula was looking forward to enjoying a day without having to deal with any of them.

If only she was quick enough... Then she may have had a chance at a peaceful day.

"Ryishi!" Azula flinched at the name. She had found that Katara was fixed with calling her and her brother by the same name. It was unknown to Azula whether or not Katara knew that Ryishi was their family name—rather than their first names. Even so, it was confusing for them to tell which 'Ryishi' Katara called for.

"You almost left without your invitation," the blue-eyed girl started. "I know that you Ryishis probably don't get the chance to go to a party very much. And it could really heighten your popularity and overall likeability at this school." Azula felt royally insulted. Did this girl just call Azula Tetsuru _unlikable_?

"...so that is why you must take this ticket and come to my sleepover," she casually handed the ticket to Azula.

"How...wonderful," she snarled as she snatched the card from the junior. "I cannot believe how terrible my life would be if I wasn't able to attend this legendary party."

* * *

"Where are you going?" Azula muttered something under her breath as she heard her brother's voice.

She turned around to face him. He was reclined on a leather chair with his legs crossed, casually sipping tea. "Why should it matter to you?" she asked.

"It doesn't," he stood up, laying his cup on the small table. "I just enjoy the feeling of catching you off guard. Why should I be worried about you leaving the house at six o'clock P.M.? Unless..." he trailed off, leaving the sentence open to whatever her explanation was.

Zuko raised an eyebrow at her. Azula had her arms crossed and her nose in the air. She reluctantly opened her mouth to speak, to explain that she was really forced to go to a slumber party. She was saved, however, from admitting the humiliating truth as Zuko's cell phone rang. As he turned to answer the call, Azula breathed a sigh of relief. Her brother was distracted, an open opportunity.

Zuko didn't even notice his sister's sudden absence.

* * *

After she left the home shared amongst Iroh, Zuko, and herself, she was picked up by Mai and Ty Lee.

"I'm so glad that you've decided to come, Azula," Ty Lee broke the initial silence with her sentence. "Now that we're all back together, things will become just like they used to be." Mai was reminded of their elementary school days at The Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls. Even then, when Azula was at the age of innocence, she ruled the school with an iron fist. And now, at sixteen, she was more cunning, more powerful, and more intimidating than she had ever been. Although Mai had been with Azula for years—becoming immune to her tactics, the thought of what she could do to the school terrified her. It then became a silent goal of hers to prevent Azula from reaching such power.

Azula had guessed that a boarding school like Phoenix High had dorms available. She had failed to realize, however, the true size of the campus. The campus was _huge_. She would have never expected that an Earth Kingdom school could be so large. (Sure it is Ba Sing Se, but this is twice as large as the schools she attended while in the Fire Nation.)

"So, where is the presidential suite?" asked Azula indifferently, in an attempt to shield her true wonder.

Ty Lee took her by the arm and left in such a haze that all Mai saw after Azula's sentence was a flash of pink.

* * *

Zuko turned from his sister, his attention going to his pocket. The phone was vibrating, and began to ring. Azula would have to wait for now. He flipped it open, and brought it to his ear. His sister slowly sneaked out of the house, unseen by Zuko.

"Hello?" he asked with a hint of hesitance behind it. The number was unknown; and besides Katara, he had not given out his number recently. So this called seemed suspicious to him.

"I know your secret." Zuko froze. The voice spoke quickly and with uneasiness to it. It was evident that the person was scared by the way he stuttered. This person was not very sure about his own words, this was true, yet Zuko was still in an uncomfortable position. This person obviously knew something about him. The question was then: Exactly what did this person know? The delicate nature of his situation suddenly became more fragile once he came to this realization. This 'secret' could merely be referring to relatively small things, such as the fact that he eats saw meat, or that the top of his head is a blue-ish color. Or...it could be Zuko's large secrets: being first in line for the Fire Nation throne, and the fact that he's a half-dragon. This was thin ice that he was walking on. Determining this person's knowledge was going to be a difficult task. For Azula, a task like this would be quite simple. She once tried to teach him how to pull information out from people, but that was such a long time ago (and Zuko never found a practical use for such a talent.) He _did_ remember, though, one of the most important things she told him. It was to never...

"I know that you are the Blue Spirit."

 _"Okay...scratch all that,"_ he thought.

"You mean the masked guy from the news?" Zuko asked, acting oblivious to the statement.

"Don't play dumb, Ryishi," the tone of voice came as a slap in the face to Zuko. "This is serious. While you're playing cute and innocent, Jet is planning to kidnap Katara tonight and...in coordination with Toph, will most likely..." the sentence trailed off. Unfinished, but the meaning clear.

Zuko tried to moisten his dry throat, "Who are you?" he dumbly asked.

"Just call me Kuzon," The Spirit automatically memorized it. "If you truly wish to save Katara, I have a friend who will assist you. His room is number seven eleven; although he is aware of the mission, his roommate is oblivious. Because of this, I will need you to make no mention of the mission in front of him. DO I make myself clear?"

"Yes."

* * *

Aang released a sigh as he placed the phone down. He was actually going on a whim when he called Zuko the Blue Spirit. He was surprised when the dragon reacted the way he did. Though, he was even more surprised at himself. He had never believed that he could be so assertive, and was in fact, quite proud of himself. Nothing was going to happen to Katara. Not on his watch.

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Sokka began. Aang had just proposed an unusual idea, and the older teen was still processing the notion. "You want _us_ to go and spy on my sister's sleepover?"

Aang nodded affirmatively. Sokka mused on this, stroking his chin slowly. His fingers felt the stubble on his jaw and he made a mental note to take care of it.

The freshman stared intently at him, awaiting the reaction. It was not as if Sokka thought it a bad idea (and would lash out towards Aang.) In fact, he was too busy pondering on why he had not come up with the idea before. It could have been because he would not have anyone to help him. (He occupied an entire dorm before the arrival of Mister Gyago.)

A smile made its way to Sokka's face, a long, sideways smile. Who would have thought that a pacifist would know how to have fun? "I've gotta say, kid. Even I, master of embarrassing my sister, would have never thought of that idea. I'm looking forward to our dynamic duo." Sokka twisted his fist into the short, dark curls of Aang's hair, the other arm wrapped around his neck.

"Actually...it's more like a 'Terrific Trio'," the boy sheepishly explained.

"Wha—?" a very confused Sokka began before a light knocking interrupted him. He turned to Aang, a look that asked, "Is this him?"

The boy shrugged in a nonchalant manner. Reibu slowly opened the door, careful to get a good look at the person before letting him inside. Once he did, though, he slammed it with such strength that the door ended up reversing direction and hit him in the face.

"Why me?" he groaned in pain.

The visitor shuffled somewhat, not making eye contact. Aang stepped in front of the blue-eyed boy. "I'm sure that you're acquainted with Zuko Ryishi."

* * *

"Welcome to my sleepover...!" Katara pulled Azula into a tight embrace. _"Finish my name,"_ Azula thought.

"...Ryishi Zula," the president smiled proudly at herself as she got the younger Ryishi's name right. (...at least in her mind.)

Other than Mai, Ty Lee, and Katara, Azula recognized many other girls from a few of her classes. The only one that she knew outside from the eleventh grade was Toph. The blind girl appeared greatly out of place. To tell the truth, Azula was not even aware of her presence at the party until she appeared behind her like a ghost. "I see, we meet again, Princess," she casually said.

Azula narrowed her eyes. She forcefully grabbed the girl by the arm, pulling her into the closet. "Would you _please_ be careful? I am delicate packaging as a matter of fact," she yelped the first sentence, attracting the attention of some of the closer girls.

"Look here, you little brat," she sneered. "If you are planning to..."

Toph burst out laughing, and Azula was thankful that the girl was blind and unable to see her blush. "Look here, you spoiled brat," the tables were turned. "Everything just has to be about you, doesn't that seem right? Your day will come, I can assure that, but leave me to my business." Just like that, Azula was dismissed as a threat. She was angry, yes, very angry. No one was able to simply NOT fear her. However, there was something else about Toph that Azula noticed. Although she had a smirk on her face (as she usually does), this one was less like a mischievous one and more like a devious grin.

This troubled Azula very much.

* * *

As all this was happening, Jet was busy preparing for the capture of the Keeper. With the earned trust and alliance of Mr. Saruman, he would finally be able to drive the firebenders out from Ba Sing Se for good.

"Is everything ready for our departure?" he called for Smellerbee.

The girl looked up with large eyes, "We move on your word."

"Excellent. Shall we go?"

The target: Phoenix High. More specifically: Katara Reibu.

"Men, we are here for one purpose: to kidnap the Winter Keeper and bring her to Zhao Saruman. You are not to attack any of the girls unless they attack you beforehand. Understood?" Jet received a unified 'Yes'.

Seishoki suddenly felt his ear vibrate. It was a special earphone given to him by Mr. Saruman as a way of contact. Obviously, it was he who was trying to reach the teen activist. Jet pardoned himself from the midst of them before taking the call.

"Mr. Saruman?" The boy cautiously asked.

"It is I. How is everything coming along?" the voice came crystal clear through the line.

"Everything is going well. In fact, we have the entire building surrounded."

"Excellent work, my protégé," Zhao smiled.

Seishoki smiled.

And in the midst of the slumber party, Toph smiled.

Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

Smellerbee thought herself more than ready to be a part of the first squad. She believed that she was ready for anything. She was not, though, ready for the golden eyes of a dragon blocking the entrance.

No, she definitely was not expecting that.

"Do you ladies have an invitation?" it inquired slowly, as if they were dumb animals. It did so while revealing two rows of interestingly sharp teeth.

Jet's first squad backed slowly from the frightening creature. Some trembled at the site, fleeing like babies. Others were far too afraid to run, and stood as frozen statures. Smellerbee, however, had trained for far too long to be afraid of a dragon. She was carefully watching its every move, waiting for the right moment to strike. She knew little to nothing about dragons, save for their presumed extinction—and the fact that they were unable to speak. This small bit of information gave her the idea that this must be a peculiar kind of dragon. "So dragon," she began while slowly approaching it, "is there a name that you are called by?"

"They call me the Blue Spirit." Interesting, so this is the guy (thing, really...) that Jet despises so. Wonder how greatly Jet would reward the person who captured him?

Hmm...

* * *

A loud THUD was heard from outside, frightening the girls. Katara instinctively sprang into action, trying to calm them down. "I'm sure that there's a reasonable explanation to this. There's just a bit of construction going on nearby, that's all." The girls visibly calmed. They trusted the president, and Katara was relieved.

That is... before Toph opened her mouth. "We _all_ know that she's lying. It is more likely that someone is out to get each and every one of you," she individually pointed to each girl in the room. For a moment, they were dead silent. However... "We're all going to die!" a hysterical girl screamed. More screams emitted by the girls followed. Katara sent a piercing glare at Toph. Who, being blind and unable to see it, smiled innocently. Azula and Mai rolled their eyes.

"We are NOT going to die!" Katara stood on a chair to stand above the girls. "I am going to prove that there's nothing to worry about by going out there."

"I cannot wait to see how that turns out," the blind girl snickered.

"You _will_ see, because  you're coming with me," Katara grabbed her by the arm.

"Doesn't anyone understand the meaning of 'delicate packaging'?" she groaned.

Azula was a bit uneasy with leaving Toph and the president alone, "I should come along as well; the more of us, the better."

* * *

 _"Ow,"_ the dragon grunted. His opponent had knocked him into the vending machine. _"For a girl, she's pretty strong,"_ he thought as he prepared for another strike from the Freedom Fighter.

Though this time, unlike the last, he was ready for her. Smellerbee charged at him, springing into the air in an attempt to kick him.

He grabbed her foot; she yelped. He had taken her by surprise. She lost her balance and found herself suspended upside-down by only her ankle. The dragon twisted his long neck around so that his head was at the same level as Smellerbee's head.

"Now if you don't mind me asking, where is Jet?"

She spat in his face.

A rattling sound was heard from above. With a blast of air, a boy descended gently from the air ducts. The dragon turned to him, Smellerbee still in his grasp. "Where's Sokka," the dragon inquired.

"He'll be busy for now," Aang said. It was at this moment did he notice the dragon. He looked at Smellerbee, then at the dragon. "..."

"She won't talk," said the dragon.

"Obviously," he studied her. "She probably can't even breathe now." The eyes of the dragon widened. He turned her over and set her on the ground. She collapsed in a fit of coughs and gasps.

Not long before she even had a chance to compose herself did Aang swarm her with questions. "Katara and Toph were absent from the party. Where did they take her? What are you planning to do to her? Answer me!"

The dragon put a claw on her shoulder, "Calm down."

The girl smirked, "Anything I would tell you will be useless. You're too late."

With those three words, "You're too late," Aang screamed.

The spirit watched in pure horror as Aang slumped to the ground. To him, Katara was gone and all was lost. He could not explain it, but he could sense that Katara was alive and well. The airbender may have given up, but he hadn't.

* * *

"I think it came from over here," Katara shined her flashlight to the right, illuminating the dark corridor. They walked in a line with Katara leading, Toph right behind, and Azula in the rear.

As they reached what was supposed to be the end of the hall, Katara stumbled backwards. Toph walked into Katara's back and Azula followed suit.

Toph was about to complain loudly about Katara's lack of warning, but was cut off by Azula.

"What could have possibly made _that_?" she asked in awe.

Katara and Azula were breathless. Right in front of them was a large gaping hole in the wall. The trail of debris led to a destroyed vending machine. The two girls approached it with extreme caution.

"Can you imagine...?" Katara's sentence trailed off.

"Whatever it is," Toph began. "It was definitely looking for a snack."

Azula ran her hands over the jagged edges of the hole. Her long nails caught a piece of cloth that had been stuck to the wall. _"What's this?"_ she thought to herself as she studied it. The fabric was very familiar to her as it was an expensive Fire Nation material used only by the Royal Family. "Zuko?" she inquired aloud.

"Bless you," replied Katara. Azula gave her a strange look. How could she be so lost all the time? Azula shook her head. That was one of the mysteries of the universe.

Obviously, it seemed like either Zuko was kidnapped or... ... She could not come up with an "either...or" situation. Although Zuko appeared to be fairly simple outwardly-wise, he was very confusingly complex in the way of his internal works. At some times, she could easily manipulate him, yet at others, he could turn everything around and ultimately get her in trouble. He could be as dumb as a rock, then nearly as cunning as Azula herself. "What are you up to?" she mused to herself.

"Hey, Katara!" Toph called. "Take a look at _this_!"

Azula stood there unaware of the danger Katara was walking in to. The naive girl appeared to skip as she went to meet her "friend". A free spirit that was oblivious to the world around her. The firebender was too enveloped in her own thoughts to catch her on the way to her doom.

Toph, the false companion, whispered to herself, "I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me one day."

Azula was pulled from her trance when the entire floor began to shake. The building was not made to withstand such trembling. The tiling around Toph and Katara began to crack. The firebender struggled to maintain her balance. Tiny projectiles from the floor were sent into the air like an army of soldiers shielding their queen.

The queen, Toph, the source of the disruption, had captured Katara. They were now rising through the building on an earth pillar. Azula had no other choice but to watch helplessly from the ground. Her gaze caught Katara's. Contrary to what she had originally thought, the new student noticed that Katara did not appear frightened in any way, but her blue irises reflected her mood. Sad. Melancholic. Disappointed.

It was not until after they were out of sight did Azula regain control of herself. Now she was at a stalemate in her head. One half was overjoyed at Katara's fate and said to walk away as if nothing happened. The other, however (Azula believes that this part had spent too much time with the memories of Mother) felt that it was her obligation to help for getting herself involved in the first place.

This in itself angered Azula. This was the first time she was not able to agree with herself. "This foreign land is threatening to weaken me and make me look like a fool... but it forgot to count on my backup plan."

* * *

"Do you know how much time was just wasted now?" Mai asked, not amused.

"When I could have been doing what?" Azula snapped back at her friend. "I need you two to decide what I should do."

Ty Lee stepped in between the two girls. Whenever Mai and Azula began an argument, Ty Lee made it her job to stop it. The fragile friendship shared among the girls was the only reason they hung around each other.

"Well, Azula, saving Katara is indeed the right thing to do in this case."

Azula nodded in approval, "Thank you, Ty Lee, for answering my request. Now Mai, are you ready to give me an answer?"

She sighed, reflecting her lackadaisical mood. "I agree with Ty Lee on this."

"I guess this means that I have to save Katara..."

* * *

He'd been searching for more than ten minutes and still, there was no sign of Katara. His feet grew weary from traversing blindly through the girls' building. The strange sensation he experienced earlier grew tremendously. Not only was he able to sense Katara's living presence, but he believed that he could hear her as well.

About five minutes before, Zuko had asked himself _"Where on earth could Katara be?"_

 _"Where else would I be but here?"_ He did not expect to receive a reply. Mistaking it as physically hearing Katara, he quickly scanned the room for any sign of the girl-finding none.

"How strange..." he scratched his head. How was it possible that he could hear her yet not see her?

"Katara?" he called out. Was it possible that she was turned invisible by some unknown force? Or that Jet had an ambush waiting for him by luring him with Katara's voice.

 _"Oh Katara, give me some sort of sign as to where you are!"_ He didn't enjoy the thought of someone playing with his mind and was ready to receive a straight answer.

 _"Can you not see where we are?"_

There was her voice again. If she was acknowledging their current position, then she was obviously at his side somehow. But this could also mean that they were no longer at the school and were possibly in an alternate dimension... Wait... He stopped himself, realizing how foolish his deductions were. (He had definitely watched too many horror movies with Toph.) It was clear that Katara was not nearby. So how was it possible that he could hear her?

He paced as he walked through the empty halls. He passed a board listing a few upcoming classes, one of which was on the paranormal. It was not like he was interested in any of that stuff, but a single word in the advertisement revealed the answer he failed to reach.

Telepathy

He nearly slapped himself for failing to note the signs. She only replied to things said in his head; there was no response to anything from his mouth. He could sense Katara's presence. This also explained how loud Katara's nagging was when they escaped from Jet the first time. He smiled in spite of himself. Although he was still aware that Katara was in imminent danger, being able to communicate with her was a good first step.

 _"Katara, can you hear me?"_ he asked with some hesitation. What if in now knowing what it is causes it to stop? Perhaps the original mystery of it was what kept it 'on' in the first place?

 _"Loud and clear,"_ Zuko breathed a sigh of relief.

 _"Miss Reibu, listen to me..."_

She cut him off. _"Who are you? Your voice sounds familiar."_

Zuko groaned. What importance did his identity hold? _"Miss Reibu, this is very-"_

 _"Well I'm waiting. Who are you?"_

He inhaled deeply, releasing all his frustration as he exhaled. For all the moments for her to become difficult... _"Don't you remember me? I'm your conscience. We haven't spoken in a very long time."_

There were a few moments of silence when Zuko supposed Katara was contemplating on this information. There was no way that anyone would buy that-not even Katara would take that for fact.

 _"All right,"_ she proved him wrong, _"It does explain why I can't see you."_ Zuko blinked. It actually worked! _"I'm sorry for ignoring you for so long. My, how much you sound like Ryishi."_ She [hopefully] would never learn how right she was.

The dragon cleared his throat before speaking. _"Miss Reibu, in concern for your safety, I would like to know your current whereabouts."_

 _"Wait a minute... Why do you need to know where I am? aren't you my conscience? Shouldn't you be able to see where I am?"_

He slapped his forehead. _"There's no time, Katara! Now where are...!?"_ He was cut off by a loud rumbling.

"What the heck...?" The ground around him began to shake. The first thing that came to mind was "earthquake." Although Ba Sing Se is the capital of the Earth Kingdom, ear quakes were an extreme rarity. This left Zuko to find other causes.

He didn't need much time to think. A hole was punched through the floor. An earth pillar rose from the center of it, Katara and Toph rising with it. Zuko smirked, _"What luck!"_

The water bender stared at the dragon with wide eyes. She appeared to reach an epiphany of some sort. _"You!"_

He merely saluted at the girl as she ascended higher up the building. _"That's another goal completed. That just leaves..."_

 _"You lied to me! You're not me conscience! You're the dragon from the warehouse!"_

 _"I'm glad you remembered me,"_ he grunted in sarcastic joy. The dragon was already scaling the clearance left between the rock pillar and the wall with his long talons. The space was too small for his wingspan (so flying was definitely out of the equation.)

 _"What are you doing here?"_ she snarled. The difference between thinking and talking: When you are thinking, you can change your voice. (In this case, make it more menacing and startling.) Had Zuko been a _normal_ human, he would have been scared stiff.

However, he is most certainly not a normal human. _"Well, you see, a lanky blue-eyed boy invited me to spy on this slumber party..."_

 _"I mean here: IN MY HEAD!"_

 _"Oh,"_ he dumbly replied. Messing with her was too hard to resist. _"I should be asking you the same question."_

 _"Me? I don't know!"_ She screamed defensively.

He scoffed. _"Then how do you expect me to know?"_

A short silence rang between the two. _"You definitely did not appear to be in any danger,"_ Ryishi commented.

 _"Maybe it's because I'm not in any danger!"_ Zuko stopped. The statement making him question whether or not to continue.

 _"B-but what...?"_ he was grazed by a hot flash of blue-white. Thunder broke through the air with a BOOM! Zuko stared with wild eyes at the free end of his shirt. The sudden flash left it scorched, a thin column of smoke rising from it.

A second flash ripped through the air, another deafening sound following it. The dragon had seen it only a split second before it struck. This was not some freak accident. It was targeting him.


	16. Arc 3: Shattered Pieces

**Note: This chapter is soooooo long, ugh. It also is "technically" the end of the story. Don't worry, I still have two or so more chapters to add.**

* * *

Arc 3: The Shattering Truth of it All  
Chapter 15: Scattered Pieces Give a New Depiction

Down below, Azula and her friends watched and waited for any sound that would indicate the giant snake surviving.

"I don't hear anything," Mai said.

Ty Lee cautiously approached the pillar of stone. She peered upwards to check if it was still there. Her gaze caught the 'snake's' long, slithering tail. "Yep," she confirmed. "It's still there."

"Great," Azula muttered. She sent another shot of the cold-blooded fire in anguish. "Not afraid of lightning, I see."

Strange as it may sound, but Azula was absolutely wrong. Zuko was shaking in his skin. "I have to get out of here!" he thought. Immediately, he didn't care about whether or not Katara needed (or, on the other hand, wanted) to be saved. Either way, he was planning on saving himself first.

He sprinted up the vertical incline at such a speed that—if officially timed-would grant him a world record. There was obviously some psycho firebender beneath him who was trying to kill him. (And he wasn't going to stick around to find out who it was.)

Azula snorted. Ty Lee scratched her head. "How are we going to get up there then?" inquired the acrobat.

"What other way than to climb?" replied Azula. The other two blinked. Was their friend expecting them to go _towards_ the lizard? After a moment's thought, the younger girl decided to stick with her friend.

Mai, however, already had her mind made up. "There is no way you're getting me to go up there with a giant snake. Are you crazy, Azula?"

Ty Lee was in shock; she turned to Azula. This was the first time Mai blatantly disobeyed an order from Azula. The girl with the pink aura scanned the firebender's expression and physical emotions with the lightest of ease. She received... nothing...? From what she could gather, the princess was completely emotionless. Not even a hint of anger or disgust was inside her aura.

"Well, Mai," Azula chuckled. "I'm not sure of the answer to that. Perhaps I am crazy. (I have definitely heard it enough from others to question it myself.) Actually, everything I've done tonight was very un-Azula for me to do. It's not a surprise that this place has probably got me under some sort of spell. I don't blame you if you're questioning my authenticity of being Princess Azula. Though, despite this also being very unlike Azula, I would be very grateful if you'd help me save Katara."

It was true; Mai was not quite sure who this person standing before her was. She looked like Azula... She had Azula's voice... yet the manner she spoke was the opposite of Azula. This Azula sounded somewhat unsure of herself and seemed to truly care whether or not her friend decided to help her. "Perhaps it is because you're not Azula that I feel the need to help you."

At the words of the shuriken wielder, Azula could not help but smile.

* * *

"First Squad: Report:" Jet once again attempted to contact the missing team. It had been nearly an hour since they last reported in. His initial reaction was that the building had a weak signal that prevented them from properly contacting him. Yet, as time went by without any communication, he began to worry.

If Toph failed to arrive on time with Katara, he'd assume that something had happened to interfere with her capture. He looked at his watch. Yes, Toph is blind, but he would suppose that she could keep track of the time. 9:55 The trade-off time was in five minutes. He glanced upwards to catch a glimpse of the green-clad girl leading a bound Katara towards him.

He quickly sent a text to Mr. Saruman.

"I'm not _that_ late, am I?" asked the blind earthbender.

He once again sent a glance towards his watch. 9:57 "Actually, you're early," he replied. He turned to the waterbender. "It is nice to see you, Katara."

"I would not say the same, Jet." The light of the full moon illuminated her narrowed azure eyes.

He sighed, "Thank you very much, Miss Bei Fong [Toph growled at the title]. Now, I shall be taking Miss Reibu off your hands now."

"Not on my watch," interposed a low, gruff voice. Jet remembered that voice. It was the same from the warehouse. It was the Guardian's! Jet Seishoki smirked. Mr. Saruman would be pleased.

* * *

Katara looked up towards the guardian. _"You're going to ruin everything,"_ she told him.

He ignored her objections and, with a sweep of his powerful tail, knocked over three Freedom Fighters. The fourth one evaded the strike with a high jump. He landed in a fighting stance. The dragon complemented with a stance of his own. _"This is going to be interesting,"_ he commented.

In the midst of the confusion and awe towards the dragon, Seishoki tried taking Katara captive for a second time. This time, however, she was not in the mood to play the damsel-in-distress. She immediately swept her arms into the air, sending a stream of water at the teen. He hit the wall with a loud gasp. Only... she didn't have any water to bend with... She stared alternatively at her hands and to Jet. She had just knocked him to the wall without any water. How could that be possible? She definitely felt the "water" she used to send him away from her. Was it invisible? She was well aware that there was water in the air around her. However, she had some previous experience in drawing water from the air, and _that_ water became visible. That was quite unlike this one, which stayed hidden from sight.

She pondered upon this for a moment. She could still sense the water. What if... She half-wittingly raised the water from the ground. But instead of water, Jet slowly rose quite awkwardly. His head limply met his chest. "I didn't hit him that hard..." She tried other motions of her arms, and just like the first time, Jet followed every command. "I can bend people!" she exclaimed.

Too immersed in her own discovery, Katara failed to note the sentry positioned to knock her out. She turned only after she heard a loud THUD and watched dumbly as he grabbed his head in pain. He was just as soon encased in an earth cage. "Stop being so careless," the blind girl wagged her finger. "Now, what exactly are you doing?"

Katara then explained to Toph everything that happened up to that point. From the moment she began hearing the Spirit's voice to controlling Jet's movements like a puppeteer. The blind earthbender listened intently to every word, nodding every now and then to assure Katara that she was paying attention. "...which brings us to this moment."

"So..." Toph began slowly, the concept fairly new to her. "You can control people?"

"Yep." Katara grinned. "Watch-[she caught the raised eyebrow of the blind girl] ... Oh, you know what I mean!" By this time, more Freedom Fighters had come to the aid of Jet. The waterbender made Jet draw out his hooked swords. The teenagers looked at their leader in surprise. Was he turning against them? And why would he do that? They took a couple uneasy steps backwards. A smile curled its way to Katara's face. _"This is going to be interesting,"_ she mirrored Zuko as if they had a single voice.

The Spirit held his arms bent in front of his torso, his hands hitched in a claw-like formation. His opponent wielded no visible weapon, but he appeared to be in a bending stance. The dragon's lips curled into a small smirk, he was well educated in all bending forms. This would be a short fight. He'd seen pretty much all he could in battle-and he's seen many strange things already. There were few things that would surprise him then. (Hold up... he was a dragon...) On second thought, there was no possible way anything could surprise him, right?

Zuko took a deep breath, drawing his hands closer to his body. His opponent widened his stance nonchalantly. The boy's form was laid-back and sloppy. He appeared to not care very much at all about the imminent battle. The dragon found this very odd. "You're not like the other Freedom Fighters," he told him.

The boy looked around, as if he was noticing the group for the first time. "So this is what these fools call themselves..." He said, sounding impartial. His blue gaze returned to the dragon. "No, I am in no way affiliated with the 'Freedom Fighters'," he added with a laugh towards his first insult.

Zuko let his hands fall. This piece of information puzzled him. Now he had a new perception of the boy. His gaze fell to his hands. Was a battle with this stranger truly necessary? He appeared to be a formidable opponent, in spite of his demeanor. (After all, it could merely be a façade.)

"I know what you're thinking. 'Hmm...? If this guy isn't with them, then he's on _my_ side, right?'" Suddenly, with one flick of his wrist, the Spirit lost all control of his body. He was not paralyzed, though he no longer had a free will. The boy's hands were positioned as of a puppeteer, Zuko's body falling into absolute submission. His lips curled into a smirk of victory. "Wrong."

Zuko strained to move his neck with no success. Who was this guy? What could he possibly want from _him_? While holding him stationary, his puppeteer strutted towards him. His grin widened as he swung his left arm backwards, sending the dragon to his knees. The Spirit gasped in pain, breathing heavily. The boy slowly pulled his hand back to himself, along with it, lifting Zuko's head to meet his.

"You see, Zuko Ryishi [yes, I know your true identity], in many ways we are alike." He paused to reveal a red dragon claw from his cloak. Zuko's golden eyes widened in astonishment. "Surprised? I don't see why. There are two others just like us. I'm just here to tell you to drop out before you get in too deep over your head. We're all far more experienced than you and Katara. It'll be better if you forget all about the Guardian and the Keeper. When your Guide asks, tell him 'No, I don't like long hikes.' Because neither of you stand a chance against us. Being the children of Ursa and Kya won't grant you any special privileges." The boy regretted adding the last part, finishing abruptly. He turned his head and snarled in frustration at him mistake.

Zuko silently inquired, "You know what happened to our moms?"

The boy released his grip on the dragon, which sent him slumping to the ground. "That is not something for you to know." The boy left Zuko breathless, weak, and confused. He reclined to the ground. His strength was gone, his body was in pain with fatigue. His hair stuck to his wet forehead. He took deep breaths to calm his body down from this strange event. His eyelids slowly closed. A quick nap would be a perfect way to figure out what had just happened. The boy's voice seemed vaguely familiar, yet Zuko could not attach a face to it. The whole experience seemed quite random. The boy knew his identity, but was uninterested in helping Jet. He had acted for his own personal gain. (But what was it that he had or attempted to gain from his act?) What puzzled Zuko was the thought of there being more Guardians. The boy mentioned three others-including himself, which makes a grand total of four Guardians. And what does a hike have to do with anything? This was all so confusing. For a moment, Zuko wished he had stayed to hear the conclusion of Kanna's story.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," a smooth, deep voice commanded. The sound sent loud vibrations to the dragon's sensitive ears. In response, he covered his ears irritably. The man furrowed his eyebrows and sucked his teeth in disapproval. "No, no, that will not do at all. I need to prepare you to humiliate your father."

"What?" He rolled himself up, not believing what he heard. His question came out groggily, as if he were half-asleep. "Did you, by any chance, mention my father? As in..."

"Firelord Ozai? Then yes," he grinned as if he'd just won a million dollars. "You, my boy, are going to make me famous."

* * *

Azula had intended to save Katara from whatever danger she was in. This, being what was intended and most certainly not what happened.

Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee had followed Katara and Toph through the chute. She instructed her two friends to observe their surroundings before making brash conclusions. The firebender peeked her head above the hole. She scanned the area, looking through the small groups of Freedom Fighters when she spotted Katara and Toph near the wall. To her, it appeared that Katara was in cahoots with Toph the entire time. The two girls were fighting a part of Jet's gang, sinister expressions plastered on their faces. Katara was controlling a boy like a puppet, forcing him to fight against his own people. When Azula had seen enough, she receded back into their hiding place. "Guys, there may be a slight change in plans. I believe that Katara has gone to the other side.

"She's dead?" asked Ty Lee in disbelief. Her eyes began to well up with tears.

Azula shook her head and consoled the tightrope walker. "No, no. Katara is not dead, but I'm afraid that she is now the enemy."

Mai was skeptical of Azula's observations. "That makes no sense. Why would Katara side with Toph? Besides, we don't even know why Toph took her in the first place. This could have been planned by the two of them. Our interference could ultimately ruin their plans."

"Very true," Azula acknowledged Mai's two-cents. "But this, however, is completely irrelevant."

Mai blinked. Did Azula hear anything she just said? Never mind that, did she hear what she _herself_ had just uttered? What happened to "don't make brash conclusions"? The firebender continued, "Our job is to save Katara. Whatever else she plans to do is of no importance to us."

Ty Lee was confused. "If Katara is now evil, then who are we saving her from?"

"From herself, of course. Katara is a naïve girl who is easily manipulated. Toph must have tricked her into joining her."

"If Katara is now evil [as you say], then wouldn't she refuse our rescue attempts?" Azula's irrational deductions were giving Mai a headache. There had to be a way to add some sense to this conversation.

"That is yet another part of the rescue," Azula replied, a hint of impatience in her voice. "We will then undo the brainwashing that has been done to her. When she reverts to her self will be the indication that our mission is over. Any questions?"

Neither Mai nor Ty Lee made any motion to speak. Azula nodded in approval. Their silence was not because of their comprehension of the situation-what they were told only bewildered them further-but a direct result of their fear for her. Being a Princess, Azula expected her every command to be followed without question. In her eyes, to question her authority and competence as a leader was insubordination. (A crime that she would personally see to condemn.)

The Firebender was the first to emerge from the hole. She built up her momentum by lodging her foot into the wall. She applied little force to it to elevate herself to the roof. Following her was Ty Lee, who made the high jump without any assistance whatsoever (from neither person nor immovable object.) Azula scoffed to herself, seeing the acrobat's extravagant flip as a show-off-y move. Finally, Mai found it easy to climb out in a manner similar to Azula.

Once they were all out, Azula called her companions behind a steel bean, to avoid detection. They pressed themselves against the cold metal, silently waiting for an imaginary sentry to pass by. With her head forced to stare at the floor, Azula suddenly remembered something very important. Her metallic gold eyes widened in horror. "Get off the ground!" she whispered loudly. In response, the two girls climbed onto the nearby boxes. Their leader balanced herself on top of a pole, her knee bent in a typical attitude.

Confused, Ty Lee inquired, "What's wrong, Azula?"

"I forgot about the blind girl." She motioned her head towards Toph. "She can 'see' our vibrations."

Mai and Ty Lee mentally scolded themselves for not remembering that sooner. "What do we do now?"

Azula pondered on this for a moment. She noticed that this roof was not fully exposed; three of its walls were open, but it had a covered top. Holding this second "roof" were many steel beams. Her gaze turned towards the shuriken wielder and she thought of the numerous daggers and knives the girl carried. Some were strong enough to penetrate metal. A light bulb lit up in her head.

* * *

Katara smiled. The shocked expressions of the Freedom Fighters gave her some satisfaction in controlling Jet against his will. To them, their leader had turned against them. Under the control of the people-bender, Jet dealt sharp strikes to his team. His hooked swords knocked some members off their feet, leaving them on the floor dazed and bewildered. Why would he do this?

At this point, Katara and Toph were practically invisible, despite being in their pajamas rather than in black stealth suits. In the confusion over Jet's apparent betrayal, they had forgotten about the two. Had any one of them been paying attention, they might have thought it strange for Katara to do all these water bending moves that had no apparent effect. _Someone_ was, in fact, paying attention. Either the wrong person or the right, (you can never be too sure) a boy ran past her in the background. Katara could tell that he knew exactly what she was doing by his icy blue gaze. Their eyes met for a brief moment, exchanging glances. His eyes frightened her, for in them she could see absolutely nothing. It was not a blank nothing that most people create whenever they're not focusing on a particular object, but a void, bottomless nothing. There was once something in those eyes, but now nothing remained. He ran all the way to the edge and jumped off. She blinked twice to make sure she had correctly seen what had happened. _"He couldn't have jumped off,"_ she told herself.

In that moment, she lost control of Jet. He was pinned to the wall by a series of arrows. Toph blocked another raid of arrows. Katara turned to face the person who sent the arrows. Toph stomped the ground, suspending a piece of the asphalt, no larger than a skipping stone. In a second motion, she punched the rock, sending it across the room to the archer. He (or she) broke it with an arrow. The blind girl blinked in surprise and directed her voice towards Katara. "Think you can work your magic on this guy?"

The people-bender slowly raised her hands in concentration. She felt his entire circulatory system falling under her will. Every artery, every vein, all falling into submission. He was hers to control.

"I will _not_ allow you to take another victim!" A flash of pink blurred her vision. Katara turned her head with the same swiftness to see Ty Lee attacking Toph's pressure points, disabling her bending. The vice-president then faced her. Katara took a couple unwary steps back. Should she use her new ability on a friend? Before she could make her decision, though, she was hit with a series of light, quick jabs all over her body. In that moment, all feeling left her body. _"I suppose this is karma at its best,"_ she thought as she fell to the ground.

The form of Azula Ryishi came into view. Her crimson, wool pajamas swayed in the winter breeze. Mai and Ty Lee stood at her sides. "Ryishi?" Katara's position partially constricted her, causing her voice to come out hoarse. "Wha-what are you doing?"

Zuko's sister bent down to her knees. Her hands were lightly placed on her lap. She sternly looked at Katara. "Listen," she began in a soft, sweet tone generally used to speak to small children. The paralyzed waterbender took this manner as an insult. "We don't want to hurt you," she was told.

Katara raised an eyebrow. Azula continued, "All we want to do is reverse the evil brainwashing that has been done to you."

The president herself has said many odd or bizarre things before, but never one as strange as this. "Brainwashing?! Where did you get an idea like that?"

Mai rolled her eyes, "I told you so."

The firebender whipped her head towards the melancholic girl. "We must have ended the blind girl's spell over her!" she declared in triumph. Her attention returned to Katara, her voice changing as well. "You must not remember, but your friend placed you under a brainwashing that made you heartlessly control these innocent kids."

"Innocent?! Jet tried to kidnap me twice! I'm lucky that Toph warned me of the second time or who knows what would've happened to me," Katara explained.

Azula remained skeptical. "If that's truly the case, who was it that saved you the first time?"

Katara debated in her head on whether or not she should tell Azula that the Spirit saved her. This was the first time she'd mention her first encounter with Jet to anyone-it had been a secret kept only between her and Toph. "A friend," she simply stated.

The firebender raised a sly eyebrow, indicating that she wasn't accepting the response she received.

* * *

Zuko let his head fall back, his eyes lost in the ceiling. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. The dragon had inquired on how the strange man knew his identity and was met with an entire telling of his life. Everything that he believed to be a secret was being recited by a complete stranger. The deep extension of this man's knowledge made Zuko nauseous. He wasn't sure if he could take all this. "Stop!" he demanded. He face was red with embarrassment and anger. The man stopped at the boy's request (although it was executed like a command.)

Zuko's body was shaking uncontrollably. He glared at the man with a piercing stare that even wavered his countenance, despite the teen being on the brink of tears. "Who...?" His voice cracked, making the word barely audible. He let his torso fall backwards, keeping his weight on the palms of his hands.

His body reverted to its human form. "Who are you?" he mouthed.

"You can call me 'Mr. Saruman'."

* * *

Jet groaned in pain as his body regained consciousness. He tried lifting himself up but found he could not move. "What happened to me?" his whisper came out as a moan. He began to squint his eyes when his surroundings came into focus.

The first thing that Jet noticed was not the fact that he was stapled to the wall with arrows, nor the fact that Katara laid motionless on the floor a few feet from him. No, not even the presence of Mr. Saruman was enough to take his breath away. What caught the hand leader's eye was the girl in front of him with long, raven hair. From his position her face was obscured from view, yet he could not refrain from staring at her. Her posture held the essence of a ruler, the air around her smelled both frightening and beautiful. She was definitely a warrior. The tenseness of her body indicated that she did not take disobedience lightly. _"Wouldn't she be a perfect addition!"_ he thought.

This mental suggestion was strengthened when the girl turned to face him. Her long bangs flew through the air like two whips. Jet found that his mouth unconsciously opened-and would not close. "I hope you can forgive the waterbender one day for what she did to you," the girl proceeded to pull the arrows from his clothes. Her light brown eyes became shielded by her long lashed when she focused on removing the arrows. Her face looked so precise, so determined... Jet turned his face away. Something about her was making his very uncomfortable.

He gulped in an attempt to moisten his dry throat. "What _did_ Katara do to me?"

She moved herself around to the side his head was turned to, but was met with another attempt to avert her gaze. "You don't remember?" she inquired. She examined a freshly pulled arrow in her hand. Her fingers amused themselves by pressing lightly on the sharp arrowhead. His continued disinterest was causing her to become uninterested as well.

When she received no reply, she answered: "She was controlling you."

Another pulled arrow had Jet's left arm free. He raised the appendage in an up/down motion to circulate the blood and reduce its previous numbness. "Nah, Katara couldn't possibly do anything like that," he shook his head in disbelief.

The girl raised an eyebrow and allowed him to continue.

With a wave of his free hand he said, "Look, if you haven't noticed it yet, Katara is a little on the crazy side." He accentuated his sentence by making a small circle with a finger at his head's side.

He paused, "Do you go to Phoenix High?"

The question had caught her completely off guard. There were plenty of questions he could have asked her, yet he chose that particular one. What significance was there to the knowledge on which school she attended? At that moment, he was free to move around and stood. She questioned his question (at the same time being perplexed by his height). "What kind of stupid question is that?" she sharply asked.

He raised his hand in defense. "Hey," he said to calm her down. Her face softened. He smiled and asked, "So do you?"

She returned the grin and extended her hand. "I am Azula..." she stopped, temporarily forgetting her new alias. Jet noted this hesitation. "Ryishi," she finished, "Azula Ryishi."

He shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jet Seishoki." He cocked his head, looking curiously at her pajamas-specifically its peculiar pattern.

"Are those Santa PJs?"

* * *

Katara was helpless. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee had left her on the ground to focus on other things. They had demoted her status as a threat and left her alone. Azula was removing the arrows that attacked Jet, who had awakened, to the wall. It was quite obvious that the firebender refused to heed to Katara's warnings and she hoped the girl would not suffer any harsh consequences for that.

Without her ability to bend, Toph also lost her ability to 'see'. She now had the same physical capabilities of a blind girl. "What happened?" she called for Katara. She slid her bare foot against the floor, trying to release vibrations through the room with no avail. She did not know where anything or anyone was. She was truly in a world of nothing. Mai and Ty lee found it particularly easy to subdue and bind the small girl.

 _"Oh no, not Toph! What's going to happen to me?"_ she wondered.

She did not expect to receive a reply. _"Bad things. That is...if you don't make a break for it now!"_ She shrieked at the sudden sound of the voice. She had no idea that someone was listening.

 _"Who's talking?! Show yourself!"_

She heard an annoyed sigh. _" Must we go over this again? It's me, the Blue Spirit."_

 _"Ah... Are you sure about that? You sound an awful lot like the boy Ryishi..."_

 _"Who is that? Never mind, you'd suppose a person would be used to hearing a stranger's voice in their head, now then?"_

 _"You're not even a person! I think... Beside the point, what was it you were telling me?"_

 _"Oh, right... You need to get out of here now!"_

Katara glanced down at her body. She could not even move her neck and she was being told to run? _"That's definitely not happening since I can't move."_

* * *

Mr. Saruman knew his plan was being executed perfectly. Soon, he would be on his way to the Fire Nation palace to prove not only the existence of dragons-but to accuse Firelord Ozai of heresy by marrying one. Looking down at Zuko, he shuddered. The very thought of a cross between Fire Nation and any other nation revolted him. To see a half-human genuinely disturbed him. It was completely unnatural! The boy and his sister were freaks. Neither human nor beast, who would accept them? No one. He would make sure of that.

His thoughts and haze shifted to the Keeper. If legend was true, then he would not be able to take the Prince without taking the Keeper as well. It was more than obvious to him that Katara was the Keeper-he'd realized it when they were seen together quite often after many years being unaware of the other's existence. Even now, he figured that they knew very little about each other. No matter, they'd have plenty of time to get to know each other when they arrive in the Fire Nation.

The humming of a helicopter became mixed in the numerous sounds already in the area. Mr. Saruman's men were ready to apprehend the dragon, his sister, and the Keeper. He glanced at the teen. His eyes were glazed and blank. All his strength was gone; he had no choice but to surrender.

Mr. Saruman's attention was now fully on the Keeper. He made his way to her by taking long, slow strides across the concrete floors. He was in no hurry, the primary problem being the dragon. Besides, how much can a paralyzed person resist? The girl's eyes widened as he approached her. He noted that her expression was not one of shock, but one of inquiry. "Mr. Saruman?" she questioned hesitantly.

He nodded, his half-grin failing to falter, "It has been a while, hasn't it, Miss Reibu?"

Her blue gaze narrowed, "What are you doing here?"

He opened a side of his black blazer, reaching into it with his other hand. From his pocket, he retracted a crystal pendant that hung from a blue ribbon. Katara was speechless. For the past three weeks she had been wearing a copy while she and Sokka searched for the original. "Where did you get that?!" she asked in a tone directed more towards an accusation.

"Let's just say I recognized it and kept it for you." She opened her mouth to request that he'd return it, but he continued, "You can have it back. That is-if you accompany Zuko Ryishi on a little 'field trip' to the Fire Nation."

Now you see, no one ever told Katara what to do in these types of situations. She did not know that she was to never go somewhere with a stranger. All she knew was that this man would give her back the necklace if only she went along on this trip. She _did_ remember Ryishi's warning to her, however did not consider the School's principal to be a person to be watchful around. Being naïve in this area of knowledge should be a sufficient excuse to pardon the fact that she considered accepting.

* * *

Large, burly men were exiting from Mr. Saruman's helicopter. They came for him, Zuko concluded. He wasn't going to resist-he could barely move. He could just imagine what his father's expression would be. It would be as it has been, constantly reading "Failure" to him. It's true; he could not save his own sister, or Katara, or even himself.

Before the men could even reach him, something stood in their way. Zuko squinted his eyes to try to see it better. This animal was about the size of a cat with very large ears and stood on its hind legs. The men started laughing at the very odd sight. The teen saw that its fur was an odd dark blue for most of its body... The fur now appeared to be a kimono. He was now convinced that he was hallucinating since the animal began to attack the men. It drew a sword from its side and sliced the coat of one of the men.

Befuddled, he exchanged similar looks with his partner. When they saw the animal's sword positioned intently above its head, they knew it meant business. However, they foolishly underestimated the animal's true force and were overpowered in mere minutes.

All this time, Zuko thought that he was dreaming. "I've had stranger," he thought. When the creature saw his job was finished, he extended his forelimbs and flew to the dragon. It slowly leaned in to his face and thoroughly convinced him that he was not dreaming. "Ow!" he yelped as the cat-like animal pinched the left side of his neck. Immediately, he found himself transforming into his dragon form.

"We finally meet, Guardian," the creature gave a small bow of respect to him.

Zuko sat with widened eyes and an agape mouth, "You...you're a talking beast!"

The creature found this statement of the obvious quite droll. "Take a look in the mirror, kid."

Zuko placed his hands on his forehead. Everything was happening so quickly that not before he even processed one thing that another thing happened. He groaned loudly, "What do you want from me?"

The creature took his head with his small, black paws and forcefully turned his head towards Mr. Saruman. "What is he doing?" questioned the dragon as he focused more on the man. He then noticed the girl in the blue pajamas. "Miss Reibu!" he shot up to his feet with such speed that the creature had to extend its own wings to keep from hurtling to the ground.

"Yeah," the creature said after settling itself on the teen's shoulder. It leaned its head beside the dragon's, "Now go save your Keeper!"

Zuko blinked in realization. Katara was in danger, and it was his sole duty to save her! He extended his dark blue wings, the appendages having the appearance of the night sky. "That's it, kid! Now fly!"

Fly? The dragon hesitantly glanced at his wings. The most he'd ever done with then was glide. Never had he tried flying. The creature pressed its paw into its forehead, "Don't tell me you don't know how to fly."

When it received no reply, it sighed, "No time for that, kid. You're going to have to jump." Zuko, however, was already racing for the waterbender. She and 'Mr. Saruman' were still conversing. About what? He did not know, but he knew for sure that this guy was bad news.

"Is it a deal?" he saw the man mouth. What kind of deal is he talking about?

"Stop this at once!" he stood squarely between the man and Katara, both of which were very confused. As the dragon stood with his arms extended between the two, there was a long, awkward silence. The teen had not imagined that he'd make it that far—he originally planned for a Freedom Fighter to fight him, but since that did not happen, he was stuck.

Hidden behind a beam, the creature slapped its forehead. "Boy do we have some work to do," it commented.

The silence was broken by Katara exclaiming, "You're a dragon!"

"That's a very good observation of the obvious, Miss Reibu," Mr. Saruman sarcastically said. "Now, can we please get a move on, the flight leaves in half an hour," he tapped his large wrist-watch.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to do that," Zuko monotonously interjected.

"Oh," he raised a thick eyebrow, "and why is that?"

"Because I am my Keeper's Guardian." With those words, Zuko lifted the paralyzed girl in his arms. He gave the man one final smirk before letting himself tip off the edge.

 _-End of Arc 3-_


	17. Arc ?: Shall we go for a hike?

**Note: My memory may not be the best. I probably uploaded this here a while ago then took it down since I decided to rework it into an original story. I won't take it down again (unless Bryke suddenly decide they hate fanfiction and don't want any more ever uploaded.)  
**

 **In my re-imagined story with original characters, this is the end of arc 3. After four years, I realize this chapter ends on a cliffhanger.**

* * *

Arc the Fourth/Arc 3: Hiking  
Chapter XVI (16): Shall we go for a hike?

Katara's throat was throbbing, yet she continued to scream. All her remaining strength was directed towards her only remaining function. The Blue Spirit had fallen backwards from the roof of the girl's dorm building. The very concept in itself was enough for Katara to smack him upside the head for. However, her body was still numb from Ty Lee's attack. She was unwittingly subjected to her rescuer. (Though she was unsure at what he was rescuing her from.) This did not prevent her from voicing her objections. "We… no, I am going to die all because of your foolishness! Who jumps off a building anyways? It's not like you can fly!"

In response, the dragon tried to suppress a laugh. The waterbender immediately grew hot. "Why are you laughing, you idiot? We are plummeting towards our deaths and you're laughing?"

"Don't you think that we would have hit the ground by now?" he asked her. She opened her eyes, realizing the verity of his words. Underneath them, floating around like a sea of lights, was Ba Sing Se. The screams ceased to escape her lips as they marveled in awe at the city below. She had been on a plane before, but that experience paled in comparison with flying above the glorious capital. She saw beauties that never appeared in the daylight. Warm lanterns floated gently beside them, causing the girl to feel like a float in a parade of lanterns.

The dragon began his descent into the city, his dark frame camouflaged into the night sky. His flapping slowed, the large sails becoming opposes of the wind rather than companions. He landed lightly on his feet in front of the Fire Fountain. Katara was gently exonerated from the dragon's hold onto a nearby granite bench. The waterbender was beginning to regain the ability to move her limbs and was strong enough to sit on her own. Her hand lay at her chest, the initial shock of flying persisting even so. As she caught her breath, she asked the dragon, "What was that about?" Immediately, however, she closed it in embarrassment. The girl's voice came out hoarse and nearly unrecognizable. She had strained her vocal chords a bit too far with her long shrieks.

The dragon himself was in a flummoxed state. He felt like the entire world had been set on fast-forward for the past hour—and he was the sole being moving at normal speed. "You'd better get used to it, kid, things are only going to get bumpier," the creature climbed out of the Spirit's overcoat.

In seeing the small creature, Katara screeched in horror (though this was perceived by Zuko to be a muted scream.) "It's a talking rat-monkey!"

It cocked its cat-like head in interest while the teenager trembled in disgust. "I am afraid that I will have to correct your observation, Miss Katara, for I am a flying lemur," it crawled onto the dragon's shoulder and perched itself there. Katara blinked.

"How do you know my name?"

"You're the Snow Keeper; of course I should learn your name."

Suddenly, the memory of Kanna's story flooded into her mind. "You mean, like in Gran-Gran's story?"

"Yeah," the dragon answered.

"Wait… How do you know about my grandmother's party?" She narrowed her eyes towards the Spirit, cynical of his sources for that information. Zuko sighed in frustration. How did the girl expect the lemur to answer if she was going to be immediately suspicious?

Thin streams of smoke escaped his nostrils while he released his annoyance. "I know because I was there. I was there because you invited me. You invited me because I am Zuko Ryishi."

"Ryishi…" she muttered, in spite of her sore throat. The boy lowered his head, solemnly awaiting her subsequent words. She pushed herself off from the bench, being strong enough to walk. She approached the half-dragon with a vigilante countenance. Slowly, she rested her hand on his head and ran her fingers through his hair. "Is your hair blue?"

Suddenly embarrassed, Zuko attempted to shield as much of his hair's strange color from the girl. At that moment, he wished that he had his top hat. He backed away from her, a deep blush creeping up his cheeks. The junior placed her hands on her hips, "You just told me that you're a dragon, yet you are too embarrassed to tell me about your hair?" He said nothing, leaving them in an awkward silence. She then noticed that his identifying article was missing. "Oh," she said in realization. "You use the top hat to cover your blue hair. That's why I never noticed it before."

"Miss Reibu, I doubt that even you could have overlooked something that prominent," he sternly gazed at her. She reached out to touch his hair for a second time, but he ducked before she could do so.

"I think it's cool, though; I don't know why you want to hide it," she shrugged.

Zuko paused; she did not say anything regarding her reaction to him being a dragon. "How come you're not freaked out by me being a dragon?"

Katara opened her mouth to answer casually, but found no reply. Confused, she tried to think of an answer, but found no solid response. She sighed, "So many things has happened lately—and so quickly too. From saving you from the hospital to escaping the hands of Jet to finding out that our moms were best friends. Everything's just…"

"…like a raging carousal," the two said simultaneously.

From Zuko's shoulder, the creature said, "That's why you've got me. From here on out, I'll be here to make sure that you two don't get too dizzy along the road."

"You mean there's more?" Katara asked, her eyes wide in unbelief.

"It's just getting started, Keeper!" it chortled in amusement. "You'll get used to it once you accept your duties."

Zuko and Katara exchanged short glances. "You mean we haven't accepted our duties yet?"

"I don't recall asking you two to take a hike with me…"

Zuko briefly remembered the strange boy from the rooftop telling him to decline a request to take a hike. The boy knew who his mom was, and possibly what happened to her. "A hike?" asked Katara. "I'm in my pajamas, for crying out loud! It's the middle of the night, and who knows what could happen in the dark woods." Katara tightened her face in disapproval. "I just met you, (and I bet Ryishi did as well) I honestly don't know whether to trust you or not. You could be working with Jet and are leading us into another trap!"

The creature's olive eyes softened during the time that Katara listed all the reasons why they should decline. "Sometimes, you look just like your mother," he said plainly.

The girl leaned in and narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"This is exactly what Kya did when I asked her that same question."

She stared at the lemur and hesitantly asked, "How do you know my mom?"

"I was her guide too, but that's a story for another time…" he said with downcast eyes, "or never, unless you would care to take a hike with me?"

During this time, Zuko was thinking about his answer to the lemur's question. He was warned about choosing yes because they stood no chance, but if that was true, then why was he being treated like a threat. There were so many things he had yet to understand, along with the possibility of learning what really happened to his mother. "A hike would be nice," he said.

Katara's gaze immediately shifted towards the firebender. "Are you crazy?" she asked him. She leaned to the side, her caramel hands resting on her hips.

"Miss Reibu, listen to me. I have a strong feeling that we should agree."

"Where is this feeling coming from? Your crazy gland?"

"Don't you want to know the truth? We can find out what really happened to our moms! Wouldn't that be better than them just disappearing from our lives entirely?" Katara thought deeply about this. She knew in her heart that she would prefer to know the circumstances behind her mother's disappearance and possible death. This lemur claimed to be connected to her mother, but she had no reason to distrust it.

"I agree with Ryishi. That sounds like a lovely idea," the waterbender sent the teen a small smile.

"Are you sure?" the lemur was skeptical of her decision. "There's no turning back now. You will have to leave everything you know. Even when you return, things will never be the same."

The two nodded, understanding completely. Katara opened her mouth, "Can I at least be allowed to refresh myself first?"

"Of course, but I would warn against returning to the school now that the Organization knows your dorm." Katara pouted, feeling defeated.

Zuko released his dragon wings, his head to the sky. "You can borrow my sister's clothes. I doubt she'll miss them."

* * *

Sokka paced over every square foot of his dorm. "Where is my sister?" he repeated. Aang sat cross-legged on his bed, his head in his hands.

"This is all my fault," he mumbled through his clothes. He should've been there to help Zuko. But no, he collapsed in anger.

"It's all out faults, Twinkletoes," Toph added to console the boy. She rested her small frame against the wall.

The elder boy turned towards her, "Say, how did you get in here?"

She adjusted her head so that it faced his direction. "I am far more competent in the art of infiltration than you three," she stated nonchalantly, adding a small shrug.

Aang groaned as he pulled himself from his prior uncomfortable position. "What are we waiting for? Katara is out there somewhere."

"It's close to midnight. We have no idea where to start looking," Sokka told him.

"Snoozles is right. We should wait for her to at least give us a sign as to where she it." At that moment, Toph felt her cell phone vibrating. There was no recorded voice attached to it. "I don't know this person," the blind girl remarked.

She flipped the device open and placed it against her ear. "Who is this?" she asked bluntly.

"It's me, Katara." The three released a synchronous sigh of relief. Though consoled by his sister's voice, he felt hurt that she called the blind girl first rather than her own brother.

Aang snatched the phone from Toph, completely overcome with joy and relief. Under different circumstances, that would have earned him a strong punch to the face, but the earthbender was emphasizing with his feelings and let the incident pass. "Katara!" he exclaimed into the phone. "Are you okay? Where are you? What happened?"

"I'm fine, Aang," she assured him. "I'm at Ryishi's bungalow. I will tell you all what happened soon, but first: can you please tell Sokka to turn his phone on?"

In hearing that, her brother's face flushed in embarrassment. He almost thought that his sister had chosen friends over family. (If she had, she would have definitely expected a scolding from his afterwards.) While sighing, her words suddenly hit him. "What are you doing at Zuko's house?" he shouted.

"It isn't safe at the school," she whispered urgently. "I promise to explain it to you when you get there, but Ryishi and I have these duties that we must uphold. Pack only the essentials like toothbrushes, dry snacks, sleeping bags, and other things like that. Meet at the Fountain as soon as you can." She immediately hung up, leaving the three in a dazed state.

"Is that girl going away with Ryishi?" Sokka questioned to the freshmen.

Toph sighed with her arms folded across her chest. "She told us to pack, Snoozles. I'm using my common sense to say that she wants us to come with her." Sokka nodded, understanding Toph's reasoning.

Aang alternated glances between the two of them. "We don't even know where she's going."

"Does it matter?" asked Sokka as he began to fill his backpack. "Katara obviously needs us. What kind of friends are we to question her request?"

* * *

Katara felt awkward in Azula's clothes. Zuko had kindly allowed her to shower and borrow a couple outfits from his sister's closet. As he said, they fit perfectly and comfortably. As for the color… "Doesn't your sister have anything else besides red?"

The half-dragon called from the kitchen, "No! Shouldn't you be focusing more about doing something with that voice?" She stuck her tongue out at him, despite the fact that he could not see her. Her hand went to her throat; she had hoped that her voice would have healed by then. Knowing it was just as gritty made her groan.

Shortly afterwards, the lemur flew into the bedroom carrying a small glass filled with water. He presented it to the girl saying, "The Guardian thought that this might help with your vocal chords." She smiled at her thoughtfulness and happily accepted the cup. She placed the clear edges to her lips and uttered a pleasing sound as the refreshing liquid flowed into her. She felt the water pause, though, where her hand laid and seemed to circulate there. When she removed her hand, the water continued on normally. "Thank you," she told the Guide, and just like that, her voice had returned to the way it was. She was happy that she could speak seamlessly once again, but she still felt crestfallen knowing that she would have to wear a stranger's clothes.

"How long will we be gone?" she asked the lemur.

He shrugged in response. "Depends on how long it takes before the world is safe again."

"B-but there's no war here. How can the world be in danger?" she was puzzled. There had been a couple of riots caused by some groups, but none too serious in the world.

The lemur smiled solemnly. "War is not the only thing that threatens peace," he pointed out.

"Done!" Zuko announced proudly. He made provisions for the two of them. (The lemur said that he could provide for himself.) He walked into his sister's room, his backpack slung over his shoulder and Katara's hanging loosely in his hand. His gaze was directed towards the waterbender. "Are we ready?"

"Yeah… we're ready," she said with subtle hesitance.

* * *

The two groups arrived at roughly the same time to the fountain. Katara immediately pulled her friends into a tight embrace. They were overjoyed to see Katara unharmed and could not resist her affection. Off to the side, Zuko and the lemur stood silently watching the group of comrades.

"Now, what's this about you and Fire-breath having some sort of 'destiny' together?" Sokka inquired once he loosened his sister's hold on him.

The lemur alighted himself onto Katara's shoulder. "I think it would be best if I were the one to answer your question."

The three teens jumped back in surprise. "It talks!" they exclaimed simultaneously. Aang walked up and scratched the lemur's ear. He cooed, "Aren't you one intelligent lemur! What is your name?" Zuko and Katara paused; they had yet to ask that question themselves. What was the name of their guide?

"I do not have one," he said plainly.

Aang was appalled, "Everyone has a name! Don't worry; I'll give you one right away."

The lemur raised a forepaw, "Thank you for your concern, but I am quite—"

"Momo!" Sokka exclaimed once he opened his bag. He had an entire bag that was full of peaches and now they were all but gone.

"That's it!" interjected Aang. "I will call you Momo."

The lemur laughed uneasily. "Momo?" he questioned the airbender's peculiar name choice.

"Isn't that a girl name?" Zuko thought aloud.

Katara patted him on the shoulder, "Don't you see how happy Aang is? Why would you want to end it for him?"

After a moment, "Momo" explained to them the tasks that belonged to Zuko and Katara and how they voluntarily chose to uphold those duties. "These two have a long journey ahead of them."

"I want you guys to come along as well—if you'd like," Katara added.

Toph laughed at her words, "Sweetness, do you honestly believe that we would've packed if we weren't planning on coming anyways?"

Sokka slid in front of his sister, a pensive expression on his face. "So, Ryishi is a dragon?" he pointed to the oldest teen. "I don't believe you."

Zuko rolled his eyes. Sokka turned to his sister. "Don't you think we would have noticed if he was a dragon by now?"

Katara pointed behind him with a cough. Sokka cocked his head and turned around saying, "Katara, haven't I told you many times it is very rude to—Ryishi! Is that you?" He marveled at the dragon that stood in front of him. After stumbling a couple of steps, he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to get his consciousness to accept this as "normal". "Okay… so Zuko is a dragon. I can understand that."

The lemur extended his wings and glided to the dragon statue's shoulder. "The journey begins here. Are we ready to go?"

* * *

Jet was mad—No, worse than mad—he was furious! Once again he had failed Mr. Saruman. Once again, he had allowed for both the Guardian and the Keeper to escape. He viciously paced the rooftop, listing all the things that went wrong that night.

"First of all, your 'plan' had many major faults that contributed to its downfall," Azula interjected plainly. "You trusted the blind girl without any prior foreknowledge that she would betray the waterbender. That was your first mistake."

Jet stared at her silently and tilted his head; he did not quite understand what she was telling him. She scoffed with a roll of her eyes, "The girl tricked you."

He blinked, "Oh."

Mr. Saruman sat casually in a lawn chair as if it were his expensive leather seat. He was neither disappointed nor pleased at what happened that night. The true prize had escaped without harm, but the second one played into his hands without any trickery on his part. "Thank you for your words, Ms. Ryishi. You appear to be a woman of great strategic knowledge. We need someone like yourself on my team."

She smiled, "I would certainly be honored, Mr. Saruman, but may I ask what is it exactly that your team does?"

"The sole purpose of the Organization is to eradicate the reptilian threat to the human race." Azula cast her metallic gold eyes to the side. She had seen her brother transform into that… monster. He rescued the waterbender—an advocate of this hostile takeover. According to Jet, Zuko had promised the girl sanctuary if she assisted the dragons. Sadness filled Azula as she thought of her brother betrayed his own kind.

"He is not human. He never was," Jet said in a low voice. He noted the girl's hesitant manner. "Do not feel remorse for your fallen brother. That will be one sacrifice or the lives of every human in the world. Which will it be?"

Her breath hitched. Zuko was now the enemy, but he is still her brother. He gave up being a human. (She briefly wondered if she had an identical choice.) Her first loyalty goes to the Fire Nation throne. If Zuko wanted to go against it, she would be there to stop him. Her lips curled into a smirk, "I will join you."

"Welcome to the Organization," Seishoki could not suppress his pleasure.


	18. Arc ?: Alternate Ending

**Note: Here is the end of my uploads for _The Dark Secrets Within Us All._ Thank you so much for reading, and although the last chapter was indeed the end, I hope you can find some humor in this alternate ending.**

 **The Arc 1 that you read was edited in 2012. Arc 2 was written in 2010. The first few chapters of Arc 3 were edited in 2013, and the last few chapters of Arc 3 as well as this chapter were written in 2011. I don't know how I managed to lose the edit of Arc 2, since I had to have had it in order to write my original story, but oh well.**

* * *

"The journey starts here. Are we ready to go?"

Zuko and Katara exchanged glances. They had chosen to enter (and possibly save) a whole new world of dragons. They were completely unaware of what lay ahead for them, but they knew that their friends would have their backs the entire way. Their "accidental" encounter now seemed hardly so. It was the first domino in an effect that led them to their destinies. Along the way, they became new friends and made new enemies. They each experienced a sense that they had yet to see the last of Jet Seishoki and Mr. Saruman, but whatever happened, they knew that they were in this together.

Katara took a deep breath. "Yeah, we're ready," she answered with a smile.

"Great! …Wait… … Oh!" Momo exclaimed.

The five kids simultaneously uttered sounds of confusion. "What is it?" inquired Zuko.

The lemur's cat-like face turned pink with embarrassment. "It appears I made a mistake."

"What kind of mistake?" Toph narrowed her eyes.

He looked at Zuko and Katara, "You two are not the Guardian and the Keeper of the Snow."

They blinked. "What do you mean we're not?" the dragon spat crossly.

"I mean, that I was observing the wrong family members after all," Momo sent a glance towards Sokka. "Their identities are actually Azula Ryishi and Sokka Reibu."

They all blinked in surprise. "Sokka?" Katara was speechless.

"Azula?" Zuko was at a loss for words as well.

Sokka, meanwhile felt his ego suddenly expand exponentially. "Now who's the special one, sis?"

The two teens were too busy attempting to wrap their brains around learning they had an immense duty to now finding out that it did not belong to them in the first place. "B-but how do you explain all these coincidences together?" asked Zuko.

"Yeah," Katara added, "like our telepathic connection with each other!"

The lemur scratched his head, "I guess you two are just a couple of misfit freaks. Sorry 'bout that, though."

They stared at each other in disbelief. Their backpacks slumped to the ground. The lemur flew off in search of Azula—the true Guardian. They were no longer the hope for a peaceful world. All they could be was a couple of teenaged freaks.

"What in the world just happened?" Aang asked.

* * *

 **Bonus:**

In my new story, I believe I mentioned it still has three arcs and 15 chapters, however the chapters are slightly different.

Arc 1: The New Kid  
-Chapter 1: Just a Pinch of Salt - _Through the Eyes of Another_  
-Chapter 2: The Domino Effect  
-Chapter 3: The Stone Dragon - _A Look at the Finer Things_

Arc 2: The Rescue Masters  
-Chapter 4: Awakening  
-Chapter 5: Welcome to the Freak Show  
-Chapter 6: The Fall Festival  
-Chapter 7: Crumbling Ashes - _The Chain...Broken_  
-Chapter 8: The Mysterious Masked Boy - _The Mysterious Boy in the Laughing Blue Mask_  
-Chapter 9: A Transition into Vertigo

Arc 3: The Reluctant Guardian  
-Chapter 10: Master of Hypnosis  
-Chapter 11: The Ties That Bind  
-Chapter 12: Spicy Peppers - _Welcome to the Freak Show [Reprise]_  
-Chapter 13: Into Enemy Lines  
-Chapter 14: The Big Switch - _Shattered Pieces Give a New Depiction_  
-Chapter 15: Choosing Sides - _Shall we go for a hike?_

There are a couple of important story points I intend to change. Toph's ruse to Jet will not be revealed for a few more chapters, so I intend to have her counterpart travel with Jet, Azula, and Mr. Saruman through the other world. It is mentioned in _Shattered Pieces Give a New Depiction_ that there are four guardians and keepers, which represent the four elements of the Avatar world. I have reduced that number to two. As for my plans to rewrite this story, I want to have chapters be more character focused, rather than change POVs in the middle of sections (save for Zuko and Katara's counterparts–due to their telepathic connection.) I've been developing Azula's counterpart more, and I have improved her relationship with her brother. Zuko and Azula barely interact in TDSWUA, but in my original story, the siblings deeply care for each other.

A major problem I noticed when reading this is that the characters are mostly inconsistent. Sokka acts very much like Jet in that he's over-reactive and strongly dislikes Zuko for some reason. I have also made Suki's counterpart much more important to the story, and have diminished the roles of Mai and Ty Lee's counterparts. I'm still torn on where to end the story. _Shattered Pieces Give a New Depiction_ is a cliffhanger ending, but represents the true end of the story being focused on Zuko, as the second story (although I never made significant progress with it) focuses primarily on Katara's counterpart and her search to discover what happened to her mother. _Shall we go for a hike?_ sets definite paths for each of the characters. Katara, Zuko, Sokka, and Aang will travel with the small creature through the fountain, while Mr. Saruman, Jet, Toph, and Azula will follow them with the intent of capturing Zuko.


End file.
